Hartford Business.com, December 14, 2007, Friday

Hartford Business.com, December 14, 2007, Friday

Hartford Business.com

New union represents independent workers

By Andrea Kay

Gannett News Service


If you work for one company on Monday and another on Wednesday, migrate from project to project or toil independently from home, you are one of about 42.6 million workers in the U.S. and you've got issues.

As a mobile worker - also known as a contingent or independent worker - those issues include finding your own health care, dental, disability and life insurance at rates you can afford, figuring out your taxes and establishing your own retirement plan.

Sara Horowitz might be able to help. She is a social entrepreneur who understands your issues and is determined to offer a solution. She started a union that supports people like you - whether you're freelance, temporary, part time, self-employed or a consultant. But don't let the word "union" throw you.

The Freelancers Union is not your traditional trade union. To begin with, there is no cost to be a member of the Freelancers Union (www.freelancersunion.org). The non-profit organization brings together independent workers "for mutual support and advocacy in a spirit of friendship and cooperation," forging a new unionism to address their common concerns, says Horowitz, executive director.

The 60,000 members only pay for what they need, such as healthcare, dental, life and disability insurance plans - and at group rates. They also have access to educational events on such subjects as contracts, federal taxes, sole proprietors, S-corporations and LLCs, as well as discounts and networking opportunities.

All types of professions are represented. There are computer repair and system designers, project managers, sales professionals, musicians, nannies, freelance writers, exhibition designers, strategic planning consultants, coaches and appraisers - anyone that fits the description of independent worker.

Structured differently than the traditional union, the Freelancers Union's business model is based on what today's independent workers need, which, says Horowitz, is a way to come together and solve problems. The biggest is the issue of health insurance. A 2006 Freelancers Union survey of more than 3,000 independent workers showed that nearly 40 percent went without health insurance for a period and 80 percent didn't seek medical care when they were uninsured.

The union also speaks on members' behalf to policy makers, elected officials and government to advocate taking a new look at traditional social insurance programs such as unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, anti-discrimination protections, OSHA and transportation and child-care tax breaks. The survey also found that while 90 percent of respondents vote, 97 percent do not feel elected officials understand the critical challenges they face as independent workers.

The union survey discovered that one third of respondents have saved less than $1,000 for retirement. So next year the group will launch a group retirement plan and offer access to investment advisors. Although they began in New York City, home to the largest independent worker population, they now have members throughout the U.S. and are exploring how to add staff in key cities across the country.

Joining together is how people change things, says Horowitz, a labor lawyer who comes from a family of labor advocates and is well schooled in the labor movement. She attended Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

"You have to build an institution to build a social movement," she says, to support the evolution the workplace is undergoing. "And you can't do it alone."

The union provides "a collective voice for change that grows louder with every additional member."

And as the workplace becomes more global, don't be surprised to see more organizations emerge to accommodate the changing needs of workers.

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