Today, the Freelancers Union is one of the nation’s fastest-growing labor organizations, with more than 200,000 members, over half of them in New York State. Ms. Horowitz, who has never lacked audacity, says she expects to expand the organization to one million members within three years. For some perspective, the United Automobile Workers union currently has 380,000 members. — New York Times
Perhaps, architect interns, and those contract workers, will look to adding their numbers to this collective, instead of waiting for venal institutions - you know who you are - to make substantive changes to the way that things work.
3 Comments
beta - so, i think it's a great thing from the insurance side. really. i'd love to get those kind of rates for our firm.
but... what else can they accomplish? discounts, perhaps, for other goods and services. maybe create a kind of co-working space?
what i don't see is an ability to create true bargaining rights (especially for rates) for members vis a vis a typical firm. they're not employing that kind of model, probably because it's a ton of effort, no reward and too many ways to work around it.
what other kinds of substantive changes would you think this organization could achieve?
Interesting you should ask Greg. I signed up for membership and from what I can gather, at the moment, you're right, bargaining and all the perks are not, at least from my early take, not on the agenda. However, these numbers, these numbers should scare he bejesus out of people. Imagine the kind of power that could be harnessed, if and when, this group starts to move its weight around. The power to negotiate higher contracts fees? The power given to the individual if they decided not to get shit on? The power in the idea of a collective effort, and eliminate serfdom? Perhaps I am seeing too much, but the numbers are telling me something interesting might be on the horizon. And hey, there is a guy like me, working full time, no insurance and certainly working well below my quote. I can imagine, from my perspective, not needing head hunters anymore, and putting some sense of bargaining rights in my control.
Lets also remember, the power the group, and individual, has to control their own life and happiness, when they are not dogged by absurdly high insurance rates or co-pays. That, is power.beta - this article should be illuminating to you then. in the end, it's providing the kinds of mechanisms you're interested in (giving people enough of a safety net to be able to take risks and chart their own course). curious what you'd think of it...
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