At Freelancers Union, we know that independent workers shouldn’t have to look out for their interests alone. We are stronger when we join together, which is why we’ve decided to make candidate endorsements. Find out why we support Rafael Espinal for Public Advocate in New York City’s special election on February 26 here.

Why now?

Freelancers Union represents 425,000 members, including 150,000 in New York City. Freelancers are the backbone of the economy, yet policy has not kept apace with the shift reflected in the workforce. We want to change that.

And we can! When we organize our members around important policy issues, like Freelance Isn’t Free, we have been able to drive meaningful change. We believe that supporting candidates who back freelance issues is an important step to building our collective political voice.

We’re kicking off our efforts with the New York City Public Advocate race, an office with a history of supporting worker rights. In making our endorsement, we reached out to candidates in the field and asked them to complete a questionnaire. We wanted to better understand their track records supporting issues like the Freelance Isn’t Free law, as well as their future plans to improve the lives of independent workers.

In the coming months, we plan to expand candidate endorsements to key city and statewide races. To be successful, we need members who are interested in helping us shape our next policy agenda and engaging directly with candidate on the issues that matter most. Together, we can become a more influential political voice and drive meaningful change to improve the lives of freelancers.

To get involved, and receive regular updates sign up for our advocacy mailing list:

To help us organize in support of Rafael Espinal, join our Text Banking Party on February 20:

I look forward to continuing the conversation with you as we build together.