New Protections for Freelance Workers
Many employers that
do not want to commit to hiring a permanent employee with the accompanying
expenses such as medical benefits, often hire freelancers for such things as
public relations, computer programming, care-giving and housekeeping. Many times
the employment relationship is informal, based on nothing more than an oral
understanding and many times the freelancer is not paid. A brand new, New York
City, law tries to put this to an end.
The law, called
the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, L. 2016/140, now requires, that upon demand, an
employer of a freelance worker must provide a written contract and the
freelancer must be paid pursuant to it, or the employer will suffer dire
consequences.
