SB Nation, the sports blogging arm of Vox Media, will not renew its contracts with California-based freelance writers because of the state’s new anti-misclassification law, which goes into effect in January.
New Jersey lawmakers are considering a similar measure in New Jersey, S-4204, which has drawn broad opposition from local freelance writers, independent truck drivers and others who work for themselves in the gig economy. NJBIA opposes the measure in its current form.
“That new (California) law makes it impossible for us to continue with our current California team site structure because it restricts contractors from producing more than 35 written content ‘submissions’ per year,” wrote SB Nation’s John Ness on the company’s website.
The company has invited its contractors to apply for new full- and part-time positions in California, but Ness noted that many of them already have full-time jobs.
Freelancers in New Jersey have been vocally opposing S-4204, in part because of what’s happening to their counterparts in California.
Jennifer Miller, a freelance writer from Audubon, said in a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed published in November that she has seen her peers losing work in California and is worried she will face a similar fate if New Jersey enacts its bill.
Gwen Moran, another New Jersey-based business writer, shared similar concerns in another op-ed published on fastcompany.com entitled: “I’m fighting back against laws that could shut down my freelance business.”
New Jersey wants to be as crazy as California. We need to elect state representatives who have a basic understanding of how Democratic Capitalism works. This is the cornerstone of our society and as US Citizens, we have the best economy and lifestyle on the planet. We don’t need more wasteful and useless regulation, socialist ideology or regimes.
The gig economy is doing disservice to lots of industries. In my case we have to compete with many that don’t play by the rules, no liability insurance, no health insurance, no worker’s compensation, no payroll taxes, no paid leave, no overtime. So the gig economy is making impossible for a business that play by the rules to compete and for that reason many businesses are closing. It won’t take long before all of us are renting out our house rooms to strangers, delivering fast food or packages, or driving for Uber.
Part-time status for employees of businesses who ‘play by the rules’ offers no liability insurance, no health insurance, no workers’ comp, no paid leave, no overtime, no pension, no 401 match programs. ‘Businesses’ need to wake up to the fact that freelancers pay income tax, buy their own insurance, pay social security taxes and work while sick to meet deadlines. These regulations against entrepreneurs/free-lancers are unnecessary and will hurt the entrepreneurs of today among whom are the millennials struggling economically because ‘businesses’ can’t afford to hire them at a living wage, or simply won’t.