Freelancers Union Wants Better Classification

Freelancers, or contingent workers, are a growing and vital part of the American workforce, but how to classify those who are not employed full time has been the subject of some debate. The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics hasn’t measured this group since 2005 because of lack of funds. The BLS has asked for the money to start counting again, but the Freelancers Union, an advocacy group, has asked the BLS to change the way these employees are labeled, according to a recent article in Bloomberg Business Week.


The government is “ignoring a crucial, and growing, segment of the economy that is transforming the U.S. workforce,” the union said. Contingent workers were defined by the BLS as workers who see their jobs as temporary.

Sara Horowitz, who founded the Freelancers Union, pointed out that the BLS numbers don’t portray workers who aren’t employed permanently full time. She said the agency needed to include independent workers, such as how the Government Accountability Office classifies this group. That would include self-employed, temps, contract workers, day laborers, on-call employees and part-time employees.

“What I find so profoundly unsettling is that the number one issue that human beings are having in America right now is the lack of work,” said Horowitz. “And to not have a clue about how people are really working, and that this isn’t a huge focus — why isn’t the Department of Labor making this front and center?”

Part of the debate is about the fact that contingent workers do not have much legal protection in the way of minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance and anti-discrimination regulations.

Until next time,

Sarah