The bills would allow self-employed professionals in creative industries—as well as certified translators, promoters, and others who typically work for several employers on a contract basis—to maintain the independent status that they say is necessary to their livelihoods. The measures are an olive branch to freelance workers and musicians who were among the most vocal critics of A.B. 5, the worker classification overhaul law enacted last year.
Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D), the author of all three measures, said she has held “countless” meetings with groups and workers on the two new bills.
Gonzalez wrote A.B. 5 to strengthen protections for gig workers, who are often exempted from labor regulations. But it faced significant backlash from freelance workers who said the law would lead to fewer work opportunities.
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