[Leica] [Fwd: LA Weekly freelancer notes]

[S Dimitrov <sld@earthlink.net>]

An interesting little bit, in particular when it comes in the wake of a
revised tax schedule, In CA, for artists, photographers, what-not.
Slobodan Dimitrov

UrbanHope1@aol.com wrote:
> 
> It seemed pertinent I received both these emails on the same day, so I am forwarding this rather long missive about exempting freelancers from anti-trust law to allow collective bargaining . . . or something like that.
> 
> Dear Hope Urban,
> 
> Dear Member:  
> Yesterday, Congressman John Conyers introduced a bill
> that would advance the union's top legislative priority
> and, arguably, the most important priority overall--gaining
> collective bargaining rights for freelance authors.
> Specifically, the bill (which you can read along with
> other documents at www.nwu.org ) would grant freelance
> authors an exemption from anti-trust law. The introduction
> of the bill is the result of lobbying efforts your
> union (with the help of the United Auto Workers) has
> been making on Capitol Hill for the last several years
> to raise the awareness of our economic needs.
> 
> You might be scratching your head and wondering--what's
> anti-trust law got to do with this? Well, under the
> law, if you and a group of your writer friends get
> together and decide to demand $5 per word from The
> New York Times, you *might* find the Justice Department
> knocking on your door, wagging its enforcement figure
> at you and saying, "you can't get together and make
> that demand--that's setting prices in the marketplace
> and that's illegal." That's because we are considered
> independent contractors, not employees (employees have
> an exemption from the anti-trust laws for the purposes
> of collective bargaining)
> 
> Now, you would be right to think that it is quite absurd
> for writers to be subject to a law that was intended
> to prevent price setting by big oil companies or big
> media companies (and, yes, you are allowed a snort
> or two of indignation that anti-trust enforcement seems
> to be invisible these days when it comes to AOL TimeWarner).
> Fact is, though, it's a fact of life.
> 
> So, Congressman Conyers has taken the first step that
> could lead to a SUBSTANTIAL change in our ability to
> level the playing field in the economic marketplace
> and, as a result, have more power to demand additional
> fees for the use of our work and resist all-rights
> contracts.
> 
> This week, many NWU members have been contributing
> to this crucial campaign. The entire leadership of
> the NWU thanks the dozens of members who have been
> making visits this week, in conjunction with Copyright
> Awareness Week, to their Congressional representatives,
> as well as writing letters. We have been heartened
> by the response and we're optimistic that we will eventually
> be successful. We are also thrilled to be working with
> our sister UAW Local 3030, the Graphic Artists Guild.
> Finally, we are fortunate to have the expertise of
> Mary Rouleau of the International UAW's Washington
> office, who has worked tirelessly on the issue.  
> 
> This will be a long fight, one that will likely stretch
> over many months and perhaps years. We hope that, as
> we come back to you with updates and requests for action
> in the future, every NWU member will consider taking
> a few hours to either personally visit a member of
> Congress, write a letter or spread the word. Ultimately,
> gaining collective bargaining rights will mean a better
> working life for you and every freelance writer in
> the country.
> 
> Solidarity,
> 
> Jonathan Tasini
> 
> President
> 
> PS: At the union's website, we have posted important
> documents regarding this legislation: The bill itself,
> Rep. Conyers' statement at the press conference yesterday,
> my statement, and a cartoon created jointly by the
> NWU and the Graphic Artists Guild (UAW 3030) which
> explains why changing current anti-trust laws is so
> crucial to advancing creators' rights. These documents
> can be found on the main NWU homepage (www.nwu.org)
> under the heading, NWU--Legislative Action for Freelancer
> Rights.
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