New law protecting freelancers takes effect

August 27, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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SUNSET PARK — A NEW LAW THAT PROTECTS FREELANCERS IN NEW YORK STATE will be celebrated on Wednesday, Aug. 28, during the week leading up to Labor Day. State Senators Andrew Gounardes and Jessica Ramos, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and others will participate in a ceremony at the Freelancers Union Co-Working Space at Industry City, to mark the official effective date of the law and speak to its importance. The law protects freelancers by establishing a right to a written contract with certain terms, timely and full payment, and protection from retaliation and discrimination for exercising these rights. This state law builds upon New York City’s own Freelance Isn’t Free Law, which took effect in May 2017, by adding oversight and enforcement from the New York State Attorney General’s Office, empowered to bring actions to obtain remedies, including damages and civil penalties, on behalf of freelance workers. The new state law also gives freelancers the right to pursue a private lawsuit to protect their rights.

Also expected to participate as of press time are New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga, Freelancers Union President Rafael Espinal and local freelance workers.

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