{"id":24155,"date":"2019-12-23T15:23:46","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T20:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/?p=24155"},"modified":"2019-12-23T15:23:46","modified_gmt":"2019-12-23T20:23:46","slug":"californias-war-on-gig-work-falls-hardest-on-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2019\/12\/23\/californias-war-on-gig-work-falls-hardest-on-women\/","title":{"rendered":"California&#8217;s War on Gig Work Falls Hardest on Women"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async type=text\/javascript src=https:\/\/static.dclick.io\/js\/ad.min.js><\/script><br \/>\n<a class=\"attachment wp-att-24156\" href=\"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=24156\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-24156\" src=\"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/women-gig-work-1024x683-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"802\" height=\"535\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This year, California\u2019s progressives decided to wage war on the nightmare of being your own boss. A new state law aimed at limiting the gig economy has already cost hundreds of people their jobs\u2014and had a seriously harmful impact on women\u2019s earnings and long-term happiness.<\/p>\n<p>Assembly Bill 5 curbs the ability of companies like Uber and Lyft to classify their workers as independent contractors. The law, which codifies the California Supreme Court\u2019s <em>Dynamex<\/em> decision into law, means companies in the <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/12\/16\/vox-media-to-cut-hundreds-of-freelance-jobs-ahead-of-californias-ab5.html\">$1 trillion<\/a> gig economy would have to hire freelancers as employees and give them benefits, including healthcare coverage. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on September 18. It takes effect on January 1.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"link-0\">Stated Goals vs. Actual Effects<\/h2>\n<p>The companies say that kind of change threatens their business model and could mean bankruptcy. It also means their newly designated employees can be unionized, a boon for organized labor. Teamsters organizers have already begun <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/politics\/la-pol-sac-uber-unionization-bill-20170402-htmlstory.html\">laying<\/a> the groundwork.<\/p>\n<p>But the law contains a provision that limits freelance writers to submitting 35 articles per outlet each year. (The bill\u2019s author admits the number is \u201carbitrary.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Media outlets that rely on independent content producers are scrambling to comply with the law before it takes effect in a few days\u2014and one of them, Vox, announced it will engage in a round of mass firings.<\/p>\n<p>The bill\u2019s author, Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, said her goal is to \u201cpreserve good jobs,\u201d but only those that pay \u201ca livable, sustainable wage job.\u201d Vox apparently did not fall into that category.<\/p>\n<p>The hundreds of workers Vox laid off have the opportunity to apply for the new, full-time jobs the company just announced\u201420 of them.<\/p>\n<p>Freelancers who love what they do can keep writing, <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/12\/16\/vox-media-to-cut-hundreds-of-freelance-jobs-ahead-of-californias-ab5.html\">explained<\/a> John Ness, executive director of the Vox-owned website <em>SB Nation<\/em>, but they \u201cneed to understand they will not be paid for future contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to government intervention, hundreds or thousands of authors will lose their most viable source of income.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"link-1\">Freelance Woes<\/h2>\n<p>Freelance authors blame the law, not their employers, for turning their lives upside down. CNBC reports:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A writer named Rebecca Lawson, who covered the NBA\u2019s Dallas Mavericks from San Diego, wrote a <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mavsmoneyball.com\/2019\/12\/16\/21024414\/california-terrible-ab5-came-for-me-today-and-im-devastated\" data-type=\"\" aria-label=\"\">post<\/a> on Monday titled, \u201cCalifornia\u2019s terrible AB5 came for me today, and I\u2019m devastated.\u201d Lawson, who was editor-in-chief of the blog Mavs Moneyball, said she would be forced to step down as of March 31.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSB Nation has chosen to do the easiest thing they can to comply with California law \u2014 not work with California-based independent contractors, or any contractors elsewhere writing for California-based teams,\u201d Lawson wrote. \u201cI don\u2019t blame them at all.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>The Hollywood Reporter <\/em><a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/everybody-is-freaking-freelance-writers-scramble-make-sense-new-california-law-1248195\">shares<\/a> the story of Arianna Jeret:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[Jeret], who contributes to relationship websites YourTango.com and The Good Men Project, says freelance writing has helped support her two children and handle their different school schedules. Her current gigs \u2014 covering mental health, lifestyle and entertainment \u2014 allow her to work from home, from the office and even from her children\u2019s various appointments. \u201cThere were just all of these benefits for my ability to still be an active parent in my kids\u2019 lives and also support us financially that I just couldn\u2019t find anywhere in a steady job with anybody,\u201d she says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Similarly, author Kassy Dillon tweeted:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Not all those opposed to the new law are women, by any stretch of the imagination. Aaron Pruner, whose clients include <em>The Washington Post<\/em>, said, \u201cWorking with a baby at home is easier to do when I have my own schedule to work from, as opposed to a 9 to 5.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But women bear the brunt of the government-imposed limit. Two-thirds of U.S. freelancers across industries are female, <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paypalobjects.com\/digitalassets\/c\/website\/marketing\/global\/shared\/global\/media-resources\/documents\/PayPal_US_Freelancers_Insight_Report_Feb_2018.pdf\">according<\/a> to PayPal\u2019s \u201cU.S. Freelancer Insights Report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Curiously, the bill carved out vast exemptions. The <em>San Francisco Chronicle <\/em><a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/business\/article\/AB5-gig-work-bill-All-your-questions-answered-14441764.php\">revealed<\/a> that lawmakers exempted a series of higher-paying professions including<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>doctors, psychologists, dentists, podiatrists, insurance agents, stock brokers, lawyers, accountants, engineers, veterinarians, direct sellers, real estate agents, hairstylists and barbers, aestheticians, commercial fishermen, marketing professionals, travel agents, graphic designers, grant writers, fine artists, enrolled agents, payment processing agents, repossession agents and human resources administrators.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But the politicians made no provision for freelance writers, despite months of heavy lobbying.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"link-2\">Women Are Hit Especially Hard<\/h2>\n<p>Freelance work empowers women to choose how they spend their time. Female workers have repeatedly told pollsters from across the globe\u2014as far as <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.acuitymag.com\/business\/flexibility-may-cost-women-on-gender-pay\">Australia<\/a> and <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.henrikkleven.com\/uploads\/3\/7\/3\/1\/37310663\/kleven-landais-sogaard_nber-w24219_jan2018.pdf\">Denmark<\/a>\u2014that their top workplace desire is the <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.acton.org\/archives\/104023-force-fathers-to-stay-at-home-a-warning-from-europe.html\">flexibility<\/a> to create greater work-life balance. Some <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/money.usnews.com\/money\/blogs\/outside-voices-careers\/2011\/11\/17\/professional-women-choosing-flexibility-over-higher-pay\">40 percent<\/a> of women say they would take a lower salary in exchange for more control over their schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Freelancing lets women choose the hours they work and gives them control over their schedule. They may opt out of working altogether when someone gets ill, only to work night-and-day at other times, based on their needs and wishes. But the right to unionize Uber drivers has denied them that goal.<\/p>\n<p>Employment is about more than a paycheck. Surveys show unemployment has a longer, more harmful impact on members of both sexes than any other adverse life effect, including divorce and widowhood. \u201cFor unemployment, there is a negative shock both in the short and long-run,\u201d <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/happiness-and-life-satisfaction\">reports<\/a> <em>Our World in Data<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 600px; border: 0px none;\" src=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/grapher\/happiness-cantril-ladder\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Unemployment also affects the human person in ways too profound to be measured by an earnings statement, poll, or survey. \u201cUnemployment almost always wounds its victim\u2019s dignity and threatens the equilibrium of his life,\u201d <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a7.htm#2436\">says<\/a> the <em>Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em>. \u201cBesides the harm done to him personally, it entails many risks for his family.\u201d Pope Francis has been outspoken about the dangers of idleness. \u201cThere is no peace without employment,\u201d he <a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.acton.org\/archives\/92840-pope-francis-on-employment-subsidiarity-and-the-soul-of-the-eu.html\">said<\/a> on the sixtieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.<\/p>\n<p>There is no peace for California\u2019s freelance writers, approximately two-thirds of whom are women. This is yet another example of how economic interventionism destroys jobs, harms women, and leaves hundreds of families unable to support themselves and saddled with long-term psychological burdens.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.acton.org\/archives\/113600-a-war-on-freelancers-is-a-war-on-women.html\"><em>This article is reprinted with permission from the Acton Institute.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" defer=\"\" async=\"\"><\/script>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<div class=\"dclickad\" data-client=\"darth-azrael\" data-slot=\"1577132557754\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<div>\n<h5><a class=\"steem-keychain-checked\" href=\"http:\/\/fee.org\/people\/rev-ben-johnson\/\"><br \/>\nBen Johnson<br \/>\n<\/a><\/h5>\n<p>Rev. Ben Johnson\u00a0is a senior editor at the Acton Institute. His work focuses on the principles necessary to create a free and virtuous society in the transatlantic sphere (the U.S., Canada, and Europe).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/fee.org\/articles\/californias-war-on-gig-work-falls-hardest-on-women\/\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/fee.org\/counter\/186847\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><script src=\"https:\/\/fee.org\/Scripts\/fee-repub.js\" async=\"async\"><\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year, California\u2019s progressives decided to wage war on the nightmare of being your own boss. A new state law aimed at limiting the gig economy has already cost hundreds of people their jobs\u2014and had a seriously harmful impact on women\u2019s earnings and long-term happiness. Assembly Bill 5 curbs the ability of companies like Uber and Lyft to classify their workers as independent contractors. The law, which codifies the California Supreme Court\u2019s Dynamex decision into law, means companies in the $1 trillion gig economy would have to hire freelancers as employees and give them benefits, including healthcare coverage. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on September 18. It takes effect on January 1. Stated Goals vs. Actual Effects The companies say that kind of change threatens their business model and could mean bankruptcy. It also means their newly designated employees can be unionized, a boon for organized labor. Teamsters organizers have already begun laying the groundwork. But the law contains a provision that limits freelance writers to submitting 35 articles per outlet each year. (The bill\u2019s author admits the number is \u201carbitrary.\u201d) Media outlets that rely on independent content producers are scrambling to comply with the law before [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[371,622,959],"class_list":["post-24155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-politics","tag-california","tag-economics","tag-jobs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}