Chicago Newspaper Guild invites freelancers to join its ranks
A few days ago, the Chicago Newspaper Guild, the Chicagoland area's only periodical reporters' union, announced that it was opening up its ranks to freelance journalists.
To people working in the field, that may seem a bit odd. Tranditionally, newspaper guids throughout North America haven't exactly been friendly toward freelancers, out of the (not entirely unreasonable) concern that newspaper companies would use freelancers to undercut guild positions. A recent post by the Buffalo Newspaper Guild is just one of the more recent examples.
Chicago Newspaper Guild leadership (as of 2013)
Yet, at the same time, it's easy to see why Chicago Newspaper Guild would do something like this. In the beginning of 2014, the guild basically only represented Sun-Times Media employees. After Joliet Herald-News was sold to Shaw Media and Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune, Pioneer Press and Lake County News-Sun were sold to Tribune Publishing, it now finds itself distributed across three newspaper chains. At the same time, thanks to staff cuts over the years, the guild numbers have never been lower (the firing of 20 Sun-Times Media photographers in particular cut its membership by nearly a half). If it wanted to grow its ranks, it would have to grow its numbers somehow, and none of the newspaper chains that have guild members on staff are in particular mood to hire anyone extra.
A few weeks earlier, the Chicago Newspaper Guid sent out a survey to look at how Chicago area freelancers are doing (Full disclosure - I was one of the freelancers who participated). The results they got back... are about what I expected, to be honest.
How would you describe the freelance market right now? Too many people are willing to work for free-59 percent of respondents said this. Freelance work is getting harder to find, work pays less now than it used to and the market is flooded with too many amateurs. These were the top responses characterizing the Chicago-area market.
[...]
The most common hurdles freelancers face are collecting payment, getting regular work, having press credentials, marketing, lack of insurance, age discrimination and business management (listed in order from most common responses to least).
Keep in mind most of these responses are coming from veteran freelancers with more than two years experience-the majority have more than a decade of experience. Two-thirds of all respondents rely on freelancing as their primary source of income. Yet only a quarter of the respondents reported being able to make ends meet on a consistent basis.
Fifty-five percent have no retirement savings and all have gaps in insurance coverage. While most have medical coverage, more than half don’t have dental, only one-third have vision and 26 percent have liability insurance.
The guild says it wants to do something about it. It is creating a new bargaining unit - the Working Journalists unit. According to the application page, they will be accepting print, radio, av and online journalists, bloggers, photographers, page/layout designers, web designers and copywriters. Which covers a pretty decent chunk of the current freelancer field.
So what would the members of the Working Journalists unit get in return? For the time being, they're getting help with "[securing] press credentials, assistance collecting payment, networking and professional development." Which isn't that bad. Especially the first two. (Fun fact - it is against Pioneer Press policy to give press credentials to freelancers. I think Tribune might have the same policy). but the guild also hints that it ultimately wants something more, saying that "if we unite, we can drive up rates and professionalism in the growing freelance industry." Which is an interesting prospect. If they can honestly get every single freelancer in Greater Chicagoland on board, then oh boy is Chicago Newspaper Guild going to have leverage.
Of course, whether they actually can get every freelancer - or even the majority of freelancers - on board is another question. Chicago Newspaper Guild membership dues are $100 per year, and there's no sign that Working Journalist members are getting any discounts. Around this time last year, I would say that I couldn't afford it. Now... well, I can, on paper, but it's not the sum I would drop without some soul searching and lots of very careful budget calculations. I do have savings, but I've mostly set them aside to cover taxes (something I did last year, which turned out to be a very wise move - taxes wiped out the entirety of my savings in one fell swoop, and I still had to borrow money to pay them).
As far as freelancers go, I'm in better position than I have been, in well, ever. I get a fairly regular paycheck, I can cover all of my experiences and still have something to put aside in savings and occasional indulgences like movie tickets. But I know for a fact that there are freelancers who are doing worse than me. I know for a fact that there are freelancers who wound up taking on regular, paying jobs and do freelancing on the side because they simply couldn't afford to freelance full-time. I also know that freelance pool has been shrinking as some people who used to regularly write for Pioneer Press on similar basis as me left journalism altogether.
Keep in mind that I'm a young-ish person with no spouse or dependents, who lives in a fairly affordable apartment with all utilities included, who is used to living very cheaply and whose biggest medical expenses at the moment are completely covered by Cook County health system. Many freelancers I know are older. Many have families. More than a few of them were regular reporters (many of them guild members) for whom freelancing is a huge economic step downward.
What I'm trying to get it is that I'm no sure how many freelancers would be willing - or even able - to put down $100 to take advantage of what the Guild is offering.
That is not to say I don't want it to succeed. I absolutely want it to succeed. With the periodical market being what it is and media companies trying to cut every corner but executive salaries/benefits, freelancers could use something resembling leverage. I'm just not sure how well it would work.
As for me... I'm not sure. Part of me is tempted to join on general principal. But a $100 is still not money I could part with trivially.
I guess we'll see what happens after chemo. And after taxes.
To people working in the field, that may seem a bit odd. Tranditionally, newspaper guids throughout North America haven't exactly been friendly toward freelancers, out of the (not entirely unreasonable) concern that newspaper companies would use freelancers to undercut guild positions. A recent post by the Buffalo Newspaper Guild is just one of the more recent examples.
Chicago Newspaper Guild leadership (as of 2013)
Yet, at the same time, it's easy to see why Chicago Newspaper Guild would do something like this. In the beginning of 2014, the guild basically only represented Sun-Times Media employees. After Joliet Herald-News was sold to Shaw Media and Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune, Pioneer Press and Lake County News-Sun were sold to Tribune Publishing, it now finds itself distributed across three newspaper chains. At the same time, thanks to staff cuts over the years, the guild numbers have never been lower (the firing of 20 Sun-Times Media photographers in particular cut its membership by nearly a half). If it wanted to grow its ranks, it would have to grow its numbers somehow, and none of the newspaper chains that have guild members on staff are in particular mood to hire anyone extra.
A few weeks earlier, the Chicago Newspaper Guid sent out a survey to look at how Chicago area freelancers are doing (Full disclosure - I was one of the freelancers who participated). The results they got back... are about what I expected, to be honest.
How would you describe the freelance market right now? Too many people are willing to work for free-59 percent of respondents said this. Freelance work is getting harder to find, work pays less now than it used to and the market is flooded with too many amateurs. These were the top responses characterizing the Chicago-area market.
[...]
The most common hurdles freelancers face are collecting payment, getting regular work, having press credentials, marketing, lack of insurance, age discrimination and business management (listed in order from most common responses to least).
Keep in mind most of these responses are coming from veteran freelancers with more than two years experience-the majority have more than a decade of experience. Two-thirds of all respondents rely on freelancing as their primary source of income. Yet only a quarter of the respondents reported being able to make ends meet on a consistent basis.
Fifty-five percent have no retirement savings and all have gaps in insurance coverage. While most have medical coverage, more than half don’t have dental, only one-third have vision and 26 percent have liability insurance.
The guild says it wants to do something about it. It is creating a new bargaining unit - the Working Journalists unit. According to the application page, they will be accepting print, radio, av and online journalists, bloggers, photographers, page/layout designers, web designers and copywriters. Which covers a pretty decent chunk of the current freelancer field.
So what would the members of the Working Journalists unit get in return? For the time being, they're getting help with "[securing] press credentials, assistance collecting payment, networking and professional development." Which isn't that bad. Especially the first two. (Fun fact - it is against Pioneer Press policy to give press credentials to freelancers. I think Tribune might have the same policy). but the guild also hints that it ultimately wants something more, saying that "if we unite, we can drive up rates and professionalism in the growing freelance industry." Which is an interesting prospect. If they can honestly get every single freelancer in Greater Chicagoland on board, then oh boy is Chicago Newspaper Guild going to have leverage.
Of course, whether they actually can get every freelancer - or even the majority of freelancers - on board is another question. Chicago Newspaper Guild membership dues are $100 per year, and there's no sign that Working Journalist members are getting any discounts. Around this time last year, I would say that I couldn't afford it. Now... well, I can, on paper, but it's not the sum I would drop without some soul searching and lots of very careful budget calculations. I do have savings, but I've mostly set them aside to cover taxes (something I did last year, which turned out to be a very wise move - taxes wiped out the entirety of my savings in one fell swoop, and I still had to borrow money to pay them).
As far as freelancers go, I'm in better position than I have been, in well, ever. I get a fairly regular paycheck, I can cover all of my experiences and still have something to put aside in savings and occasional indulgences like movie tickets. But I know for a fact that there are freelancers who are doing worse than me. I know for a fact that there are freelancers who wound up taking on regular, paying jobs and do freelancing on the side because they simply couldn't afford to freelance full-time. I also know that freelance pool has been shrinking as some people who used to regularly write for Pioneer Press on similar basis as me left journalism altogether.
Keep in mind that I'm a young-ish person with no spouse or dependents, who lives in a fairly affordable apartment with all utilities included, who is used to living very cheaply and whose biggest medical expenses at the moment are completely covered by Cook County health system. Many freelancers I know are older. Many have families. More than a few of them were regular reporters (many of them guild members) for whom freelancing is a huge economic step downward.
What I'm trying to get it is that I'm no sure how many freelancers would be willing - or even able - to put down $100 to take advantage of what the Guild is offering.
That is not to say I don't want it to succeed. I absolutely want it to succeed. With the periodical market being what it is and media companies trying to cut every corner but executive salaries/benefits, freelancers could use something resembling leverage. I'm just not sure how well it would work.
As for me... I'm not sure. Part of me is tempted to join on general principal. But a $100 is still not money I could part with trivially.
I guess we'll see what happens after chemo. And after taxes.