How to Join a Freelance Media Union

One of the biggest stories in media over the last few years is the wave of unionization at digital outlets. Here's how to join one as a freelancer.

By Brett Bachman

One of the biggest stories in media over the last few years is the wave of unionization at digital outlets. Unions have gained high-profile victories for writers, reporters and editors — efforts that have been successful in fighting layoffs and cutbacks, as well as securing pay raises, severance payments and other benefits for their members.

As the industry reels from more than a decade of declining subscription numbers and eroding ad revenue, media workers have identified a need to join together to secure protection from rampant layoffs and pivot-happy executives chasing the next big thing (see: Facebook video). And though these victories have largely excluded the freelancers that media companies increasingly rely on, freelancers’ numbers continue to grow.

Organizing freelancers to change industry standards is notoriously difficult, at least in comparison to a union drive at a specific company. For one, the workforce is spread out and can be difficult to reach. Plus, members have disparate goals that are sometimes at odds with staff editors and writers. Negotiating with one company can be hard enough, let alone all of them in an industry with a broad list of demands.

Two efforts in particular have emerged over the past year as leaders in this fight: the National Writers Union Freelance Solidarity Project, which is a subsidiary of the United Automobile Workers union, and the Industrial Workers of the World Freelance Journalists’ Union.

Organizers for both shops say that their struggle is critical to achieving a more equitable media ecosystem, one that brings a diverse set of voices to the table. A unionized freelance sector can also better stand in solidarity with staff unions and prevent self-employed media workers from being used as scabs.

“The only way to set and enforce industry [employment] standards is to gather a critical mass of workers,” said David Hill, a freelancer and board member for the National Writer’s Union. “Anything else basically amounts to asking companies nicely to behave.”

What follows is a guide for Study Hall members interested in joining one or both of these unions. It’s important to note that they encourage double-membership (dual-carding, in union speak), and see their goals as being the same. Where they differ is in the history and structure of their parent organizations, which ultimately informs the tactics each uses.

National Writers Union Freelance Solidarity Project

How does it work? The Freelance Solidarity Project is a division of the National Writers Union, which has represented writers of all kinds — journalists, authors, poets, screenwriters, copywriters, et cetera — since chartering in 1983.

The Freelance Solidarity Project was officially founded earlier this year with the goal of setting industry-wide standards through direct action and negotiation with employers. This is something organizers say NWU was able to do successfully in the 1980s and ‘90s by publishing contract guides and negotiating a series of standardized freelance agreements with individual publications, victories they’re trying to replicate today.

The NWU is itself part of the United Automobile Workers union, which, earlier this year, organized a work stoppage at General Motors in which nearly 48,000 UAW members endured the longest auto workers’ strike in 50 years. Several members of the NWU Freelance Solidarity Project said that knowing their dues contributed to the GM workers’ strike fund was a point of pride. “I mean, that kind of thing is why you join a union in the first place,” Hill said. “I was happy to stand in solidarity with [the GM] workers.”

Who is the Freelance Solidarity Project for? The National Writers Union and the Freelance Solidarity Project serve all media workers: journalists, academic writers, app content writers, copywriters, book authors, technical writers, screenwriters, poets, translators and a number of other writing professions. It’s also open to those who work in multimedia: photographers, videographers, illustrators, social media workers, and others.

What does the Freelance Solidarity Project do for its members, exactly? If a publication isn’t paying what they promised or engaging in other illegal behavior, like sexual harassment or discrimination, those complaints can be taken to a union representative and handled through the union’s formal grievance process.

Though it’s relatively easy for companies to ignore one writer demanding payment or complaining about a problem editor, it’s harder to ignore an entire union. Together, workers have a much bigger platform from which to publicly shame an outlet, and can pool their resources to better afford protracted legal battles. The union can also organize its membership to withhold labor from a specific publication, hurting that company’s bottom line.

The Freelance Solidarity Project believes that even the potential for such action will make the industry a more welcoming place for freelancers in the future.

The National Writers Union also offers a host of other benefits to its members, including a dental and vision insurance plan, events for members, and contract advice.

How does it accomplish these goals? A portion of each member’s dues goes toward things like market research and a legal fund that can be used to sponsor lawsuits on behalf of individual members and other legal cases that the NWU membership votes to approve.

Are there any examples of this happening? Earlier this year, the National Writers Union represented 25 freelancers who were collectively owed more than $40,000 by Pride Media after completing assignments for Out magazine. The issue made national headlines, and after several months of negotiations, all of the writers represented by the NWU were paid in full.

Another NWU lawsuit against Ebony magazine on behalf of 45 freelancers resulted in a payout of $80,000. In 2018 alone, the NWU claims to have collected more than $200,000 in overdue payments for its members.

How many members do they have? The National Writers Union has between 1,700 and 1,900 dues-paying members, according to Hill. Within that group, about 150 are also members of the Freelance Solidarity Project.

How much does it cost to join? According to the NWU Freelance Solidarity Project’s website, dues are calculated on a sliding scale as follows:

• Under $5,000 (monthly recurring) – $ 12.50
• $5,001 – 15,000 (monthly recurring) – $ 18.75
• $15,001 – 30,000 (monthly recurring) – $ 25.00
• $30,001 – 50,000 (monthly recurring) – $ 29.16
• Over $50,000 (monthly recurring) – $ 33.33
• Under $5,000 (6 mo) – $ 75.00
• Under $5,000 (annual) – $ 150.00
• $5,001-15,000 (6 mo) – $ 112.50
• $5,001-15,000 (annual) – $ 225.00
• $15,001-30,000 (6 mo) – $ 150.00
• $15,001-30,000 (annual) – $ 300.00
• $30,001-50,000 (6 mo) – $ 175.00
• $30,001-50,000 (annual) – $ 350.00
• Over $50,000 (6 mo) – $ 200.00
• Over $50,000 (annual) – $ 400.00

Also worth noting: The National Writers Union is also an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which means that members are eligible to apply for an IFJ press card. It’s an internationally recognized badge that brings with it professional legitimacy and connections to other journalism organizations and services. This service is especially valuable for journalists traveling internationally, or for journalists who deal with soldiers, police, or public officials often.

For more information: Visit the National Writers Union Freelance Solidarity Project website or email David Hill at [email protected].

The Industrial Workers of the World Freelance Journalists Union

Disclosure: I am a member of the IWW FJU.

How does it work? The Freelance Journalists Union was also officially formed earlier this year. It is a part of the Industrial Workers of the World, an international labor union whose members are nicknamed “Wobblies.”

The IWW was formed in Chicago in 1905 by militant unionists and assorted leftist revolutionaries. Over the years, the IWW has cultivated ties with various socialist and anarchist movements in America and abroad. At the time of its founding, it was also the only major union to welcome women, immigrants, and African Americans into its ranks, who were excluded from most peer organizations.

In short, many members of the Freelance Journalists Union cite the IWW’s history as the reason they joined. Wobblies have been fighting the bosses for more than 100 years — because of the unique organizational structure and guiding principles, they believe it’s the best organization to guide the struggle for equity in the 21st century gig-economy as well.

Who is the IWW FJU for? The Freelance Journalists Union is open to freelancers working in the news media. That includes writers, reporters, editors, bloggers, photographers, videographers, illustrators, et cetera. The IWW FJU interprets this broadly, but unlike the National Writers Union, it excludes freelancers not working specifically in journalism, like screenwriters or copywriters.

What does the IWW FJU do for its members, exactly? The IWW identifies itself as a “solidarity” union, which differs from “business” or trade unions in that it does not explicitly offer its members services in exchange for dues. Members formulate strategies and take action themselves, rather than union employees or formal representatives directing campaigns.

The Freelance Journalists Union, by extension, sees itself as primarily a direct action organization — “basically, [we pressure] publications to shape up,” the FJU website reads. “To that end, we provide tools, guidance, funding, and other resources.”

How does it accomplish these goals? The most successful campaigns the union has run thus far are “name and shame” initiatives against problem publications.

The IWW FJU also makes use of tactics like strikes, pickets, and boycotts and intends to use its pooled resources to protect members’ legal rights whenever possible.

Are there any examples of this happening? In June, Daisy Alioto, a freelance contributor to Vox Media, noticed a section of their contract that prohibited her from sharing rates with other freelancers. She tweeted the suspect clause, which garnered hundreds of incredulous responses. (The specific tweet has since been deleted.)

This may or may not have been a violation of federal law, so the IWW FJU stepped in with a work-around: “Send us the rates Vox websites have offered you and we’ll share them [on a Twitter thread] anonymously,” the union tweeted.

After more than a month of sharing Vox’s rates, the company revised its freelance contract to expressly allow the sharing of rates among freelancers.

In August, Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy tweeted that he would fire any of his employees “on the spot” if they spoke to a writer at another publication about the unionization process. In response, the IWW FJU filed formal charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the company.

How much does it cost to join? Dues are not meant to be a barrier for entry to the Freelance Journalists Union. Anyone is welcome, regardless of their ability to pay.

That being said, here is a breakdown of the suggested monthly dues structure based on self-reported writing income:

• Financially burdened – $ 6.00
• Less than $2,000 – $ 11.00
• Between $2,000 and $3,500 – $ 22.00
• More than $3,500 – $ 33.00

There is also an initiation fee of one month’s worth of dues.

How many members does the Freelance Journalists Union have? The FJU has a little over 100 dues-paying members, though it has a network of several hundred more people who have assisted on campaigns and are helping the union outside of paying dues by conducting outreach and research.

Also worth noting: Members of the FJU are building a spreadsheet with contact information for editors at various publications, their level of responsiveness, crowd-sourced rates, tips for pitching and other details. The union is also offering professional press passes that will identify the holder as a journalist.

For more information: Visit freelancejournalistsunion.org or email [email protected].

Correction: An earlier version of this piece did not specify Daisy Alioto as the freelancer who organized against the Vox contract.

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