About six weeks ago, the People's Republic of Kalifornia passed a law that was mainly reported in the media as affecting Uber and Lyft drivers. But there is a much greater impact on society, especially on freelance journalists.
Assembly Bill 5, a new law signed by the governor, severely impacts freelance journalists and other independent contractors in the gig economy. Their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and due process regarding government "taking" are once again infringed, as are rights to copyright ownership (freelancers own their copyrights, whereas the rights are owned by employers of writers).
Basically, freelance journalists will be restricted to submitting a max of 35 pieces (articles, photos, weekly columns, and blog posts) to a specific publishing outlet in one year. "Under AB5, freelance writers may not write more than 35 submissions per client per year. If they go over the limit, they must be hired on staff or stop working for the client. Otherwise the client could be sued for 'misclassifying' you as a freelancer when you should be an employee."
The official premise is that AB5 raises standards, improves wages, and provides access to rights and benefits (like collective bargaining) for workers.
Assembly Bill 5 codifies into Kalifornia law a state supreme court decision called Dynamex (involving independent truckers) "that tightly limited the ability of California residents -- including freelance journalists -- to work as independent contractors. While publishers generally ignored the ruling, some freelance writers lost significant income when they were immediately blacklisted by an out-of-state publisher." Other occupations affected include Uber and Lyft drivers, food delivery services, independent musicians, and many others.
IMO, AB5 is a way to suppress freedom of expression, especially when the articles are against the Demonrats that run Kalifornia. It also ensures greater tax revenues for the state; under the law, their output would be restricted unless they are a wageslave whose employer would then have to pay and withhold social security and income taxes. I don't know how articles contributed for free would count (e.g., if a freelancer both did work for pay and also contributed info for free to blogs and websites).
