Freelancers Union Launches National Program Offering Insurance, Benefits & Other Services; New Form of Unionism Expands Social Safety Net for Independent Workers.

NEW YORK -- The New Union Hall: Online Initiative Also Provides Profiles, Freelancers Yellow Pages, and Gig Postings to Help Freelancers Find Employment

Independent workers around the country - who comprise more than 30 percent of America's workforce - will have access to insurance and retirement programs, as well as other benefits generally available only to traditional employees, through a program launched today by Freelancers Union. This national program will build on the ten-year history of this New York City-based nonprofit organization that has successfully addressed the needs of the City's growing independent workforce by providing them access to health, dental, life, and disability insurance as well as professional discounts and educational and advocacy initiatives.

Also, with the launch of its redesigned website, which includes a new blog and Freelancers Wiki, the organization is creating a new on-line community by offering Profiles, Freelancers Yellow Pages, & Gig postings, a marketing and business development initiative that will allow freelancers to advertise their services and help them find work.

Under its new program to be rolled out in phases, Freelancers Union will offer health, disability and life insurance as well as retirement planning to eligible independent workers around the nation.

--Freelancers Union health insurance offerings, which have been available in New York since 2001, will be expanding to states across the nation. The organization will be working toward offering insurance in as many as 20 states by the end of 2007.

--This fall, Freelancers Union will offer disability and life insurance to eligible independent workers nationwide.

--Also by year's end, the organization will launch a program giving independent workers access to individual 401(k) accounts.

While there are fees and eligibility requirements for insurance and retirement planning, membership in Freelancers Union is free and members from all fifty states can take part in advocacy initiatives, as well as the online community that will offer support and services to members. Freelancers Union currently has 33,000 members in the New York City area, and conservatively expects to grow its membership to 50,000 nationwide by December 2006.

Sara Horowitz, executive director of Freelancers Union, said, "Today, we are marking the dawn of a new form of unionism - a new kind of labor organization that seeks to protect and even the playing field for millions of independent workers and freelancers across the nation. These workers are the backbone for so many industries vital to our nation's economy--IT, financial services, the arts, advertising, and publishing. Yet, these same workers are not afforded simple job protections or a social safety net that most traditional workers are entitled to.

"As states look for solutions to the uninsurance crisis, they are seeing that in New York Freelancers Union has created a sustainable model that effectively reaches these individuals. Thought leaders and policy makers across the nation must begin to identify and implement policies to address the specific needs of individuals who work outside traditional employment models. Freelancers Union is part of the solution," she added.

Ms. Horowitz stressed that Freelancers Union will not replace traditional unions In fact, unions and guilds such as the National Writers Union and the Graphic Artists Guild already partner with Freelancers Union to offer insurance to their members. She also noted that a recent survey of New York's independent workers showed that 66% either went without health insurance or had only temporary coverage during the course of a year.

Also today, Freelancers Union unveiled Profiles, Freelancers Yellow Pages, and Gig postings, online tools that allow members to promote their professional services to potential employers, to find employment opportunities themselves, and to develop professional relationships with each other. Freelancers Yellow Pages is a centralized listing of members and their products and services organized in searchable categories. The Gigs service is a searchable directory where members, organizations, and guests can advertise available employment opportunities. Members can comment, find news, and share information on a blog and Freelancers Wiki, which are also part of the new online community.

Freelancers Yellow Pages also creates a unique opportunity for independent workers to subcontract with each other. For instance, a freelance web designer hired to create a website can search for another independent subcontractor who writes web copy.

"With our new Profiles, Freelancers Yellow Pages, and Gigs, Freelancers Union is effectively creating a union hiring hall for the 21st century - a centralized place where employers can go to find top quality workers; and where freelancers can go to market their unique skills and form business partnership with others who are similarly situated."

To access this service go to www.FreelancersUnion.org and click on Gigs or Yellow Pages.

About Freelancers Union: Freelancers Union is part of WORKING TODAY, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that addresses the needs of America's growing independent workforce through advocacy, information and service. Founded in 1995 by Sara Horowitz, a MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient, the group addresses the needs and concerns of freelancers, consultants, independent contractors, temps, part-timers, contingent employees and the self-employed, who collectively make up about 30% of the nation's workforce.