Comments on: Union or Not?

By: Irreverent Freelancer

Irreverent Freelancer — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:10:00 +0000

I’ve found that where I live, I can secure better health insurance rates on my own than these organizations offer to their group. Since that would be my main incentive for joining, I haven’t done so. I do, however, like the concept of the Freelancers’ Union and may check it out better in the future.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:58:00 +0000

I am a member of the Freelancers Union, but other than getting a quote for medical insurance I honestly have not utilized their resources well. I have recently received emails about teleclasses and webinars they have to help with the business end of freelancing. I plan to take advantage of those soon. I don’t quite understand how the Freelancers union can help keep writers from being offered crappy pay though…

By: devonellington

devonellington — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:48:00 +0000

I'm considering joining them because of the insurance offerings. However, they only offer insurance if you're based in NY (unless it's changed over the past few months).

A choreographer friend of mine has urged me to join. She said it's helped her enormously.

I plan to join the National Wrtiers' Union later this year, too.

As a union negotiator for my own Broadway union, I'm a big believer in a unionized labor force, especially with everything employers have stripped in this industry.

Bill Moyers had a great program about the discrepancy between the people who do the work and the top execs on his show last night. Taking inflation into account, we're making less than our grandparents did.