On April 17, California at providing more flexibility for music industry workers. The proposal would Assembly leaders reached agreement on a proposal aimed amend AB5, the gig-economy law recently passed.
AB5, spearheaded by Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez and Majority Leader Ian Calderon, targets companies such as Uber and Lyft that attract “gig” workers. It makes it harder for these companies to classify workers as independent contractors, meaning they would be considered employees and entitled to benefits like minimum wage and paid sick days.
The law, which went into effect at the start of the year, was of great concern to members of the music community, including recording artists, musicians, producers and songwriters, who often get together for one-off collaborations. AB5 would have forced employer-employee relationships in circumstances where that legal status made no sense, and it would have inhibited, rather than encouraged, creative collaboration. Under the amended language, these individuals will have more flexibility to collaborate together and perform without losing the ability to organize with unions, and demand fair wages under the law.
The new language was negotiated by SAG-AFTRA, the Recording Industry Association of America, the American Association of Independent Music, Music Artists Coalition, Independent Music Professionals United, Songwriters of North America, American Federation of Musicians, Recording Academy, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Teamsters.
“Keeping the music industry strong in California, maintaining our ability to protect and organize the work of recording artists and singers, and allowing the creative community to thrive makes this a real and timely win for us all,” said SAG-AFTRA Chief Deputy General Counsel Jeffrey Bennett.
This item originally featured in the SAG-AFTRA magazine spring 2020 issue.
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