Self-Employed Waiting Longer for Money Owed

For independent workers (approximately 30 percent of the nation’s workforce), it’s getting tougher to get paid. The Freelancers Union, a 120,000-member group based in NYC that includes consultants, independent contractors, temps, part-timers, contingent employees, and the self-employed, says increasing numbers of its members report having trouble getting paid in a timely fashion—or at all.

The group’s 2009 survey found that 40 percent of respondents had trouble collecting payments owed in that year. On average, survey respondents lost out on $6,000 each. “Companies are making the calculation that it’s pretty easy to get away with not paying a freelancer,” says Freelancers Union founder and executive director Sara Horowitz.

Unfortunately, no current programs through the Department of Labor will come to the aid of individuals or businesses when it comes to payment, as they will for traditional employees.

Independent workers must rely on time intensive attempts at remedy, such as repeated calls and letters, or pursue legal action.

“People who own micro-businesses or work as individuals require government help,” Horowitz says. To learn more about the Freelancers Union’s “Get Paid, Not Played” campaign, visit freelancersunion. org. Membership is free and includes discounts on insurance as well as other benefits.