Sara's dispatches
Why are women more likely to freelance?
The traditional work structure just isn’t working for millions of women anymore -- if it ever worked to begin with. That’s why I wasn’t entirely surprised that…
Sara's dispatches
Get your copy of 'The Freelancers Union Guide to Taxes'
More than 53 million Americans are now freelancing. That’s one in every three workers. Entire industries have swelled to meet the demand. Co-working spaces like Impact Hub. Gigs boards…
Sara's dispatches
Find Your “Spark” -- Announcing Our New, National Education and Networking Series
The one thing every successful freelancer knows is that you’re only as good as your network. That’s why last fall we started a national event series pilot project…
Sara's dispatches
What makes a city great for freelancers?
What makes a city great for freelancers? That’s the question I talked about last week with a couple hundred freelancers in San Francisco and Los Angeles. There was so…
Sara's dispatches
California, let's talk about building better freelance cities
Freelancers are the future of work. And we’re the future of cities, too. With 53 million independent workers and counting (and millions in California alone), we’re not just…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
Join the Freelancer Benefits Network
The freelance movement is surging! With more than 53 million Americans now freelancing, there are countless groups, organizations, and companies rising up to meet the needs of this growing workforce…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
Nobody Looks Out for Us Like Us
When I was growing up in Brooklyn, my parents were part of a neighborhood babysitting cooperative. Each family would take their turn watching each other’s kids. The short-term benefits…
Sara's dispatches
Free unlimited primary care for freelancers
There’s a crisis in primary care. By 2020, America will be 45,000 primary care doctors short of what we need. While half of all doctors visits are for…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
Rethinking Social Safety Nets in a Freelance Economy
Last week, I sat down for a quick chat with the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Ai-jen Poo, and had a great conversation about what a 21st century…
Sara's dispatches
A message about the 2015 plans
In the week since we announced our partnership with Empire for 2015 health plans, we’ve heard from many of you about your questions, concerns, and ideas about the partnership.…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
Our National Expansion
When I founded the union nearly 20 years ago, we were trying to make sense of this new type of worker -- and bring them together to solve their problems.…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
The Network for New Mutualism: The infrastructure of the new economy
I founded Freelancers Union on one simple premise: We’re stronger together than we are alone. It was based on what I saw happening in the economy. Yes, American workers…
Sara's dispatches
53 million Americans are freelancing, new survey finds
By Sara Horowitz, Founder and Executive Director of Freelancers Union and Fabio Rosati, CEO Elance-oDesk Freelancing is the new normal -- and we have the numbers to prove it. More…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
Hives: A community for the new workforce
For years, freelancers have been telling me that they need an online hub to network with each other, share ideas, ask for advice, and find potential collaborators. Today, I’m…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
Hundreds of freelancers are coming together for After Hours
I’ve been hearing it from our members for years: Freelancers want to meet each other face to face. But the response that we received after announcing Freelancers Union After…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
The Era of Big Work is Over
The economy is changing. It’s in the way we’re spending our money, the way we’re working, the gigs we’re taking, and the values by which we’…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
Teachers, students, authors, and parents: Our members say #ThanksForTheSpark
Had it not been for a few very special people, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. People like Bayard Rustin, Sidney Hillman, and Frances Perkins inspired me…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
#ThanksfortheSpark: The real force behind the New Deal
We all want to make positive change in our communities -- and as we’ve seen, thousands of freelancers across the country are making change happen. But I often wonder…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
#ThanksForTheSpark: Lessons I learned from a civil rights leader
When I was in 5th grade, Bayard Rustin -- the famous civil-rights leader -- came and spoke to my class at the Brooklyn Friends school. He’s been a role…
Sara's dispatches Advocacy
#ThanksForTheSpark: Who inspired you to follow your passion?
When I was a kid, the name Sidney Hillman was like magic in my home. As a three-generation labor family, Hillman -- the head of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of…