Brooklyn Bill Would Protect Freelancers From Getting Ripped Off

Photo courtesy of Brad Lander

BROOKLYN, NY — If you live in Brooklyn, you either work as a freelancer or know several hundred people who do.

There’s also a good chance that you or your friends have had trouble getting paid for jobs, according to data collected by the Freelancers Union, which advocates for the rights of freelance workers.

A 2015 study released by the group estimated that 53.7 million Americans did freelance work in the past year — and a second study found that the average freelancer failed to receive nearly $6,000 in due earnings in 2014.

In an effort to do right by Brooklyn’s laptop workforce, City Councilman Brad Lander, who represents Park Slope and surrounding environs, introduced legislation last December he says would ”write new rules for the new economy that ensure fair treatment for all workers.”

About 1.3 million New Yorkers do freelance work, Lander says.

Lander’s bill, known as the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, would require employers to draw up contracts for any freelance work worth more than $200, and would mandate payments to be made within 30 days of the work’s completion (or the payment due date stated in the contract).

The legislation would also permit the Office of Labor Standards or another government entity to penalize contract violators.

As of Tuesday, Lander’s legislation had attracted 28 co-sponsors — a majority of the Council.

Patch has reached out to Lander’s office for more information on the timeline of the bill’s path through City Hall.