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Feedback ForumSend us your idea that answers the needs of independent workers like those profiled in "Benefits Denied."Submissions for this question are no longer being accepted. Previously submitted comments appear below. Comments may have been edited for content or space. Poster: Merry Foxworth Comment: I am glad to read that several of you agree that we need a single payer non-employer-based health care system. The point Christine Adams made about employers having to treat workers more fairly because they could leave a job at any time if not dependent on health insurance is also a very good one. We all all need to keep after our members of Congress to right these wrongs, and not get distracted from working FOR us for a change Poster: Donald Brake Comment: I am interested in becoming a freelancer. I have a deep and passionate energy for the progressive movement in our country and I'd like to share it with others. But I'm new to this, and don't really know where to turn to get started. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Poster: Merry Foxworth Comment: I am glad to read that several of you agree that we need a single payer non-employer-based health care system. The point Christine Adams made about employers having to treat workers more fairly because they could leave a job at any time if not dependent on health insurance is also a very good one. We all all need to keep after our members of Congress to right these wrongs, and not get distracted from working FOR us for a change; see http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/feb/16/pennington-congress-cheats-public-investigating-sp/ Poster: Lyn Nelson Comment: I wish I'd known about this Union when I was a fee-for-service therapist at a community mental health agency for 5 years. I didn't qualify for their benefits package and had to get my health insurance from the local Chamber of Commerce by filing as a Consultant running a home business. I would have gladly become a Freelancers Union member if I'd been able to join their group health insurance plan back then. Poster: Christine Adams Comment: Changing to a single payer universal health care system would give all workers an immediate increase in their leverage with employers. Workers could leave a job any time they wanted so employers would have to be more fair in order to retain quality workers. Now workers often can't leave a job because they and their families need health insurance. They end up on the short end of the stick - whether they stay in the job or get laid off. p.s. I would love to see a program on single payer system like H.R. 676. There are so many myths about single payer the American people need to be educated about what it really would be like. Hope you can help. Poster: Jeff Fried Comment: The following is in addition to my previous comment. You should have also discussed the legal issues of hiring contractors. At least in California, and this may be a Federal law as well, if you keep an independent contractor on your payroll for more than one year, then you must treat that employee as a regular employee and pay benefits. This is why most companies only hire contractors through agencies so that it is the agency's responsibility to provide benefits to the contractor. Based on that i think you should have also discussed the relationship between the employee, contracting agency, and the employer, that is, how that affects salary, benefits, and the career of the employee. Generally i find your show informative and you appear to take care with the facts. But in this case i think you did not do as good a job as you have in the past. Poster: Linda U. Woods Comment: As a consumer, I should know about any company's use of contract employees. The government should also know when companies are using these workers. Competitors should also know when other companies are avoiding paying benefits and payroll taxes on employees. I will consider not doing business with companies that are taking advantage of emplyees. Give us a list showing the percentages of contract workers emplyed by every company. We should know and the government should know. Poster: Suzanne Goetz Comment: I want health care separarted from employment. Makes you hostage to a job. I want it directed by consumers, health car professionals (without ties to business,) health care business, government and independent think tanks. Those independent workers took better cafe of their health. Emphasis on PREVENTION> Poster: Marsha Mahan Comment: I wish I had a comment that was constructive. I'm a self-employed artist with no insurance options other than private coverage. I'm 55 years old and have had a heart attack. No one wants to insure me so my only option is coverage that is available for high risk people. I pay $350 a month with a $9,500 deductible, no prescription coverage and no co-pay. On top of that the self-employed also pay an additional 15% self-employment tax. I wish someone could tell me what to do and wish that someone could address the additional tax that this group is required to pay. Marsha Mahan marshanyc04@aol.com Poster: Bob Comment: Years ago, GM was sued by an 'independent contractor' for retirement benefits having worked there for many years. He won! Immediately after, all of the automotives required any independent hiree must have an employer that is the sole provider of all benefits. All employees are either direct hires with all benefits OR people that have been contracted for from other companies who are the primary employer. (absolutely NO freelance, independent contractors employees, no claim opportunities for 'short benefits') Poster: clint Comment: By the way- benefits are not denied by corporations- the people deny themselves by working a place that doesn't offer them. The worker can go elswhere at any point. The young lady could buy health insurance for less than her union dues- but that isn't as sexy of a story. She is wasting 250 a month to save 40% on healthcare. What an idiot. Poster: clint Comment: What a bunch of winers. The lady says she works with a man who has been in the same position since the Regan years and the host then goes on to talk about how insecure she is. Insecurity is a part of life grow up! Freelancers are what they are because they like it----yes they want more but who doesn't? The guy who flies to costa rica or where ever because he cant afford a rutine physical and dentla exam-----give me a break. Are these people free to leave their employment? Did the editors look into contractor laws before speaking with the young lady. It is in my experience that a contractor doesnt have specific vacation or 3 sick days. Did you get her contract and read it? Or do you just want to push your socialist agenda? Poster: alex Comment: i think you missed an opportunity to bring up the Screen Actors Guild as a model for a Freelancers Union. It seems to me that, over time, a large enough group of freelancers in any industry could eventual gain some level of pricing power over large segments of industries that are reliant on freelance work. Obviously, entertainment unions have a relatively small number of major employers to deal with, and this makes the process of bargaining simpler than it would be for many other freelance heavy industries. Still there seems to be a working model there that is worth exploring in the contexts of the workers discussed in this report. Poster: R. Page Comment: Access to affordable health care should not be bound to a person's employment. No employee should be held hostage in a job by the need for health insurance. Instead, health care should be available to anyone who pays taxes in the US. The taxes may need to be higher to pay for that care, but every taxpayer should be paying for it whether or not he or she feels the need for health insurance. The cost of care for a person who cannot pay for the government's health services should be borne by the taxpaying public as a whole, rather than by a subset of health care users who have no third party to pay for their own health care. No individual or family should be at the mercy of the health insurance companies. Poster: Richard Hafke Comment: The program of 2/15/08 omitted mentioning that many freelancers or independent contractors prefer to be independent. I am a computer programmer who made never more than $65,000/yr as an employee. Seven years ago I decided to try contracting for $45/hr. Since then I have never been out of work more than 2 weeks. I am currently making $65/hr 1099, working alongside permanent employees making 60 or 70 thousand/yr plus benefits. I have no benefits but I can tax defer up to 45,000/yr in a SEP 401K and can deduct for 'travel' to and from the job site since my business address is my home address. I think I can also deduct health insurance premiums as a business expense although currently I don't have health insurance because it seems so expensive. Employees can't do any of these. I have no withholding which means all my gross income can earn interest until I pay some of it in taxes quarterly (or annually plus IRS penalty). So I end up saving a lot of money which would not have been possible had I remained an employee. Poster: Nan Moses Comment: If appears you didn't research the issue too extensively. Misclassifying workers in against the law and the IRS Tax Code. This is not a 'choice' the firms are allowed to make to increase profit, evade taxes, or 'keep from going out of business.' All businesses must classify workers who meet the employer/employee criteria as such, pay their share of FICA and Medicare tax and withhold the employees' share. THIS IS THE LAW!!!! Submitting IRS Form SS-8 (printed down from IRS.GOV) will get the worker an official determination of his worker classification, i.e., employee vs. independent contractor. The firm is involved and also asked for input before the determination is rendered. If the worker is an employee, the firm is advised to come into compliance voluntarily. If their employment tax evasion is egregious enough, the IRS will audit them for this issue. You could have done a great service to thousands of workers that are misclassified if you had done your homework. You got close with Eliot Spitzer's 'report' but you missed the main point. If a worker is genuinely an entrepreneur, then fine. But the VAST majority (97%) of workers paid on Form 1099-MISC are employees, regular 9-5'ers that are getting a raw deal. I SO wish you'd done a better job of this... Poster: Claire Brightwater Comment: Last night I watched the PBS show about Freelancers Union. When I joined the Freelancers Union, it was really just for health benefits. But after seeing the show, I realized that I am a member of a community that far out weighs the benefits of health benefits...even thou health benefits are very important...I realize now that I am a voice in a collective creative community that is making it possible for people like myself to change the forgotten soul of the Freelancer. Thanks for being there - I look forward to helping you all in anyway that I can. Love & Light, Claire ClaireFrancis-Brightwater, President, Three Buffalos, Inc. Brightwater Spring Water Brightwater Gallery Three Buffalos Music www.brightwaterspringwater.com www.clairebrightwater.com www.clairefrancis.com Poster: Jim Krupp Comment: Excellent show once again. One comment by the woman from NY state govenment left us with a question. What is the applicable law that governs how an employer classifies workers? Is it all workers in all professions, or only some. My wife has done union organizing here in Massachusetts and was not sure what the law might be. Poster: Ronald Comment: If each state would sponsor a non-profit group health insurance for people who do not have employer insurance it would go a long way to help the problem. The program should be self supporting so it would not be an additional expense for the taxpayer. Secondly, and just as important, health insurance companies should be converted to non-profit entities instead of the blood-sucking greedy corporations they are now. Poster: Jose Escobar Comment: Medical Insurance needs a combination of public and private institutions to work for good. The government needs to provide a basic form of general and basic medical benefits for the persons not covered by private companies. There is an important need from insurance companies and medical providers to change the way the system work and reduce waste and excessive charges for basic services such as physical therapy that are way too high for the service provided. The compensation paid by malpractice is too high and that increases the fees that doctors paid and that they charge back to patients. The increase in exams, fees and cost that doctors practice to avoid being sued for malpractice is also making the whole system too expensive, too wasteful. The freelance medical insurance is a good example of medical insurance is not so wasteful and provides basic medical services. Poster: Iresha Comment: 1. Have a limited health package that is run by govt - one full physical exam (annual) and 12 visits. Paid packages for primary prevention - weight loss, smoking cessation and drug and alcohol dependancy 2. Second package for catastrophy insurance for unexpected serious illnesses. Poster: Ken Tucker Comment: Sara Horowitz and the Freelancers Union are to be commended for helping to provide affordable health insurance to its members. However, the bigger issue is employer-based health care itself - a failed system, both ethically and economically. When will we join the rest of the civilized world and provide single-payer, NOT-FOR-PROFIT universal health care for every American? Poster: Christine Fischer Comment: Fresslancing doesn't come down to corporate greed alone,American Management can't manage. I worked thirty years in an industial setting and my employer couldn't manage at all,and thats from my twenty years of contract negociator's point of view. A good manager would know the staffing needs of the company they run. Without a vested interest in the company you work for, no employee would give their all for an employer who doesn't value them. Work ethic and employee value go hand in hand. Strong unions and strong management is what made this country great. When an employer knows who works and manages with a hands on approach there is no need for freelance workers. For years I would listen to high, middle,lower, management whine about how well our company would run without a union, but management's rights outweighed just cause. Companies may think freelancing gives them an edge, but good valued employees their worth more than a hundred times any CEO salary. Thank You Poster: Rolf Pitsch Comment: I believe the issue of health insurance could be solved by an assigned risk program just like we have for car insurance in every state. If it is necessary, the government may pay the premium of some of these policies. Prices for health services would come down since all services would be paid for. It should cost the government less money too. Poster: Charles H. Seitz Comment: In 1848 Europe was mostly kingdoms, principalities and empires and very dictatorial and tyrannical the way corporations are today. My greatgrandfather joined in a fight to change all that and they became democratic states and republics now known as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and England. That is what is going to happen to mega-corporations. Workers will join societies and incorporate and have equal rights and equal say in everything. But first Congress will have to pass laws to make it possible. Also corporations will issue their own money as salary to the workers and be backed by the wealth produced as goods, services and information. The Democrats are still playing the old political game of Left vs. Right. There is a new game in town of votes vs. money. First the middleclass average citizen with their votes are going to have to bet the money powers. That is down the road away, however. I have a new economic theory to rationalize this. Go to my personal website at Poster: Ed Comment: When is everyone going to wake up to the fact that the Power Elite, working through the Neocons, has been chipping away at the New Deal benefits of the middle and lower classes, since at least the mid 1970s. Read Paul Krugman's analysis in 'Conscience Of A Liberal'. Also, look at everything Bush and the Repubs have been for or against - none of these policy moves helps the middle and lower classes, but rather always helps the super rich and Power Elite. Poster: Bill Webb Comment: Until very recently, I had been caught up in the temp/contract worker thing, no benefits, sick pay, vacation, job security, etc. Because of my personal circumstances, which I will ignore, it did not amount to much of a challenge for me. With an impressive resume, education, experience, discipline, I could have, and could still now continue to slug it out in the harsh, dog-eat-dog employment market. I know that without the many advantages I have, life would have been at best difficult, if not impossible. I also know that there are millions of Americans out there living this exact life, and it is eating away at the social fabric of this country, for which we will all pay. In the way of solutions, I can offer the fact that I live a 2 minute drive from my job. I know that there are millions of people who spend too much time and money getting to work and back, making us more dependent on foreign oil too. Maybe telecommuting would be a good solution? Made in the shade :) Poster: Henry A. Depue Comment: Some have gone from employees to freelancers and then managed to become consultants. As consultants they were able to draw much larger salaries than they had as employees with the benefits. If they are squezzing you out then you need to become creative about how you can be worth more to them and get them to pay you more. It may mean changing your title. Poster: Stanley Wrzyszczynski Comment: This is in response to the provocative request for ideas regarding “benefits denied” and the Freelancers Union. What this edition of NOW revealed and the leadership of the Freelancers Union has not considered is the status of these “independent contractors.” They are NOT considered labor by the US legal system nor the administrative aspect of gov’t (local, state or federal), no matter what the founder of the Freelancers may think the reality on the ground is (with regard to the kind of work they do). As the show pointed out, the State of New York is primarily interested in the non-generated tax revenue of the present status quo (not in the status of the “laborers”). My idea is that the Freelancers Union change their tack, their approach, and embrace this “actual” reality on the ground (that their members are for the most part independent contractors). Through legal action, expose’s like your show, lobbying, and political initiatives the union should stress the independent business status of its members, the entrepreneur/small business category that they ARE. By doing this they could demand a slice of the enormous subsidy pie that your show, Moyer’s show and many others (books, journals, etc.) have pointed out exists within the current political economy (I’m talking about tax breaks, write offs, outright funding, legislative priority status, perks, etc.). By demanding their rightful share of this pie (as businesses), and perhaps cutting into it (even in small degrees) they would threaten this source of income and privilege for companies and corporations. When sources of revenue dry up, even to a small degree, capitalism responds immediately, aggressively, and (historically) violently. Eventually the response would probably be that this threat is best alleviated by making these people employees who can no longer “compete” with them as “producers” (businesses entitled to feed at the public moneys trough as competitors or the public moneyed welfare for corporations being eliminated altogether). This is essentially what the union movement of the late 19th and 20th century did in order to win concessions. They threatened the revenue source for the companies involved. What the Freelancers union is doing now does nothing to threaten the revenue source. Indeed, it rather enhances it. Why extend employee status to a competitor? Poster: Gerald Marsch Comment: I call it Free Health Insurance. Free Insurance that pays more than one dividend. Free because it doesn't cost you more money. It saves you money. By working hard trying to go fluoride free will pay you a dividend of being healthier. Fluoride is a toxic chemical that comes mostly from the chimneys of fertilizer companies. It is put in drinking water with the belief by some that it will reduce cavities. This is debatable. Trying to be fluoride free is a big challenge but the rewards for trying will be tremendous. Over-consumption of fluoride is the worlds number one enemy. Beating down terrorism is easier than beating down over consumption of fluoride. Poster: Ken Comment: New York's vigorous protection of workers' rights doesn't always have the intended outcome. When I retired as a writer for a magazine, I wanted to continue doing some of my work as a freelancer, and my employer wanted me to do so. But NY law prevents workers from doing the same work as freelancers that they did as employees when that work is done for their former employer. So my employer lost my labors, and I lost a job that would have helped supplement my retirement income. Incidentally, there might have been ways to circumvent the law here, but my employer maintains the highest level of integrity, and never even considered that. Poster: barbara j allgood Comment: Thanks for this show about Freelancers. As a Federal employee of many years with one steady employer for over 28 years and a union member with benefits, this show enlightened me to conditions and workplace arrangements in America today. This is the kind of issue and approach to showcasing American life today that is your strength on NOW. I did NOT enjoy the interview with Dan Schnur about political strategy.. It was a boring TALKING HEAD visual approach, very disappointing. I kept checking to see if I was on the right TV channel... NOW looked like many other TV shows that evening and lost its edge. Please do not do that form of presentation again. Poster: Merry Foxworth Comment: This story about freelancers not getting health insurance through their jobs just makes even clearer the need of getting rid of the whole employer-based form of health insurance coverage. It is an old idea which is an anachronism in today's world and which only came about 60 years ago during wage and price controls. It adds a whole layer of bureaucracy which is expensive and cumbersome for employers and unfair to employees because it reduces their wages. More and more employers want to get rid of the system; no other country has it, and it hurts US companies in this new global economy. We cannot continue in a model that sets us so apart from all other countries of the world. As pointed out in your program, the economy is moving more and more toward short-term employment, instead of the 40-year career at one company that used to be the norm. This new economy is totally unsuited to the model of employer-based health insurance. Therefore we need to insure all our citizens through a single system, completely independent of employment status, so that continuity and effectiveness of coverage is assured to all of us. Poster: Joyce Higgins Comment: It would be very beneficial to me to have the names of all the corporations that exploit freelance employees. There should be a way to let the general public know who these companies are. I would definitely boycott these corporations and also eliminate them from any financial plans to invest with them in the future. Shame on corporate america for not doing the right thing. Thank you PBS for making this known. Poster: Guy H. Lemaitre Comment: One novel idea for the Freelancers union would be to foster parnerships with serious medical, dental and pharmaceutical facilities in Mexico and Canada and organize periodic trips for its members there. Great job. Poster: Colleen A. Kelly Comment: It would seem that a natural alliance could be constructed between the Freelance Union and a coalition of small businesses. Among the challenges for many small business is the ability to offer adequate benefits, including health care. An alliance of forces could benefit both groups. |
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