The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the arts and culture sector in the US, causing millions of job losses and billions of dollars in lost sales. For months, arts workers—artists and workers in the arts, culture, and entertainment fields—have been organizing and advocating for appropriate stimulus relief and economic transparency within their industry. The crisis has hit freelance arts workers, who are excluded from unions by federal labor law because of their independent contractor status, especially hard.

Below, we highlight four sets of solutions that stand to increase worker power for all independent contractors, including freelance arts workers. Federal government has the biggest role, but state government, nonprofit organizations, financial institutions, and foundations can help strengthen and support these efforts.

  • Expand collective bargaining rights through reclassifying misclassified workers as employees. Under current labor law, the only way to extend traditional collective bargaining rights to at least some independent contractors is to reclassify workers as employees.
  • Reform labor law so independent contractors have the right to unionize. Even if more workers are reclassified as employees, freelance arts workers will still lack collective bargaining rights. A comprehensive solution requires ensuring all workers, including independent contractors, are included under federal labor law.
  • Support nonprofit organizations that build collective power. Nonprofit, member-based organizations, such as Freelancers Union, advocate on behalf of arts workers and other independent contractors. They’ve helped secure important policy wins, such as the Freelance Isn’t Free Act in New York City, which provides critical wage protections to independent contractors.
  • Scale worker cooperatives. As worker-owned, democratically governed businesses, worker cooperatives (or “co-ops”) can help build collective power for all workers. They could be particularly effective for arts and other workers who prefer to work as independent contractors because they allow workers to maintain more autonomy.

Read the full article about arts workers by Natalie Spievack and Jessica Shakesprere at Urban Institute.