One Yr For the reason that Relaunch of the World’s Longest Bill, Nonpayment Stays a Nationwide Disaster
One 12 months in the past, we relaunched the World’s Longest Bill to shine a lightweight on probably the most pervasive points dealing with impartial staff. Since then, the numbers have solely grown they usually inform a sobering story.
In simply twelve months, over 1000 freelancers from 44 states have added their names and invoices to the marketing campaign. Collectively, they’ve reported greater than $7.4 million in unpaid wages.
These aren’t edge circumstances or one-off errors. They’re proof of a system that continues to permit purchasers to delay, keep away from, or deny fee with little consequence. Freelancers from almost each business have participated—graphic designers, movie editors, rideshare drivers, writers, musicians, consultants, and extra. Nonpayment isn’t confined to a distinct segment. It cuts throughout sectors, areas, and expertise ranges.
The result’s all the time the identical. The work will get carried out. The verify by no means arrives. One in three freelancers has handled nonpayment, and plenty of by no means see a dime. Too usually, there is not any contract, no accountability, and no consequence for purchasers who merely disappear when the bill arrives.
We launched the unique World’s Longest Bill marketing campaign in 2014 to reveal the dimensions of this exploitation. That marketing campaign helped drive the historic passage of the Freelance Isn’t Free Act in New York Metropolis. Since then, the motion has unfold. Freelance safety legal guidelines at the moment are lively in: New York Metropolis, New York State, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Columbus, Illinois and California.
These legal guidelines mandate written contracts, require well timed fee, prohibit retaliation, and supply actual enforcement mechanisms. They acknowledge what freelancers have all the time recognized—that nonpayment is wage theft, plain and easy.
However freelancers in a lot of the nation nonetheless haven’t any authorized protect. That’s unacceptable.
Proper now, payments have been launched in Georgia, New Hampshire, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington State, however have but moved ahead. We want lawmakers to behave. And we want our neighborhood to boost their voices.
The World’s Longest Bill isn’t only a public consciousness software. It’s a dwelling doc.
We use it to coach lawmakers, rally assist, and battle for protections in each state. Each submission provides energy to our motion. Each unpaid bill is one other name to motion.
For those who’ve carried out the work and by no means been paid, you are not alone and you are not powerless.
Add your bill. Share your story. Let’s make this inconceivable to disregard.
