Ten years ago, the New York City Council passed the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, guaranteeing freelancers the right to a contract, full payment in 30 days, and protection against retaliation. Since then, the law has been passed in the cities of Los Angeles, Columbus, Minneapolis, Seattle, and statewide in New York, California, and Illinois.

Yet there are still scores of freelancers who aren’t paid on time, threatening their livelihoods and making independent work too precarious for many to enter into. 75% of freelancers, roughly 150,000 people each year, experience late pay in New York City alone.

That’s why New York City Council Member Chi Ossé recently introduced a bill to create the City-Run Freelancers Payment Fund.

Freelancers could choose to opt into the fund by paying a small fee. Freelancers would then get paid via the fund, instead of waiting on payment from their client. The city would be responsible for being reimbursed by the hiring party, engaging them for the payment instead of the freelancer. This relieves the freelancer of having to wait on payment that might never come, or risk fraying relationships by chasing it.

If the bill passes, the program would be administered by the Department of Small Business Services, and the fund’s operations handled by the Economic Development Corporation. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection would also play a role in implementation and enforcement.

For those of you in New York City, contact your local city council member and let them know that you want them to sign onto Council Member Ossé’s bill.

The Freelance Isn't Free Act passed in New York City and then was quickly adopted elsewhere. A decade later, it's time to set another precedent.