NPR: What exactly is the difference between an employee and an independent contractor? That's a question the National Labor Relations Board recently signaled it was taking another look at. And as NPR's Andrew Limbong reports, how this shakes out could have a widespread legal impact across all sorts of industries.
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Another day, another union fight. This is something that is constantly on the Newsquiz website. By no means do I think that this is a bad thing. I think it is great that unions are advocating for their rights. What makes this article unique is that it is the first time this issue has been addressed for independent contractors. I don’t ever plan on being an independent contractor but freelance work in other areas has always been something that has been interesting to me. I think a big driver for unions actively fighting for rights has been the pandemic. Paid sick days are more important than ever. Even beyond that workers are simply fighting for better working conditions overall. The pandemic has shown us that overworking isn’t effective, breaks are vital, and paying people for sick leave makes people actually take sick leave. Prior to the pandemic, I was the type of person to always go to rehearsal even if I was incredibly sick. Currently, I would definitely think twice about coming in but I can’t afford to not get paid for my work especially if I just feel a little under the weather.
I look forward to seeing every week, without fail, another story about theatre workers fighting for their right to a union. It gives me a lot of hope that we as a community can fight against our own exploitation to create art in an environment that values us as creators. However, I do worry a little bit about whether the National Labor Relations Board will vote in favor of these workers getting a union because they might be considered independent contractors. Personally, I don’t buy this argument one bit. Hair and makeup workers are vital parts of production, who work long hours under very stressful conditions to get actors ready for performances. All they really want right now is a right to healthcare, and in the time of a pandemic with an airborne virus, when hair and makeup people have to work with maskless actors, this should really be granted to them without thought! They are putting their health and job security on the line to help us as theatre makers create beautiful art, and should be treated well in response.
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