Fear and Loathing in Milwaukee
The Republican National Convention will feature the head of the Teamsters—a staunch opponent of independent contractors—as a speaker.
The Teamsters union has been one of the loudest voices calling for freelance-busting regulations and legislation to become the law of the land.
Until now, the Republican Party has stood firmly against such policymaking. The party has protected our right to choose self-employment—a right that every American has had since the day our nation was founded.
Recent events suggest that this stance may be waffling, in ways that are causing independent contractors to take notice.
How We Got Here
The news that broke a few days ago surrounds the Teamsters union, which, for years, has been helping to lead the attacks on our right to choose self-employment.
In 2019, the Teamsters union announced that it was “committed to ensuring the passage of AB5,” which means California’s Assembly Bill 5. That law decimated self-employed people in a failed attempt to create unionizable jobs.
Also in 2019, the Teamsters championed an AB5 copycat bill in New Jersey. That legislative rollout failed in part because independent contractors including me led a grassroots revolt to save our income and careers.
So, the Teamsters turned to Washington, D.C. They pushed for a federal version of freelance busting in the PRO Act. That bill failed too, after moderate Democrats joined with a united Republican Party to protect the choice of self-employment.
Unwilling to respect the voice of the people or the bipartisan action of Congress, the Teamsters next turned to the White House. The union championed the Biden administration’s new independent contractor rule, which continues to face numerous lawsuits (I’m a plaintiff in this one). The Teamsters also called on Congress to enshrine this rule in federal law, and for all states and municipalities to follow.
Sean O’Brien, head of the Teamsters, made clear in Boston magazine that his intent with all of this freelance busting is to unionize every last one of us:
This whole time, Republicans have stood strongly on the side of independent contractors who wish to remain self-employed (the vast majority of us).
In fact, what was arguably the biggest move to protect us came from within the administration of President Trump.
I, like many independent contractors, have been grateful to the Republicans for their support. As I testified before Congress last year, those of us trying to stop this madness are Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike.
Until now, no matter what any of us thought about Trump on other issues, we felt confident that if he won re-election, he would not support freelance busting.
That confidence, I’m sorry to say, has now been shaken.
Muddling the Message
On Friday, Trump announced not only that O’Brien will be given a slot to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next month, but also that he plans to work “together” with O’Brien going forward:
This move comes on the heels of Republicans failing to muster enough votes to use the Congressional Review Act to block the Biden administration’s independent contractor rule. Two of the holdouts were Republican Senators J.D. Vance and Josh Hawley, both Trump supporters.
It also follows this, from back in January:
These signals that the party is sending to independent contractors are creating fear. This past weekend, I ran a poll on Twitter/X, asking what it means for independent contractors that O’Brien will speak.
This was the result, admittedly unscientific, but from independent contractors who are highly attuned to this issue:
Perhaps the Republican Party needs a reminder of what it stands to gain when it sends clear signals about supporting the right to choose self-employment.
For years now, throughout all the freelance-busting craziness, even self-professed Democrats have been cheering Republicans for protecting our chosen careers.
As a leader in the grassroots movement to stop freelance busting, I can tell you with 100% certainty that many of us agree with the majority of Americans who support the existence of unions, but don’t want to join one.
We all stand firmly against the kind of freelance busting that O’Brien and the Teamsters continue to champion. And a heck of a lot of us fall into the coveted voter demographics of women and people of color:
Inviting the head of the Teamsters to speak at the convention is not taking the traditional Republican message to every American. It is instead giving O’Brien an opportunity to spread his freelance-busting message.
Republicans have long been our staunch ally in the fight to stop freelance busting. The party would be wise to make sure that this message of support for independent contractors is given equal time with O’Brien at the Republican National Convention.
The Teamsters union that O’Brien represents has just 1.3 million members.
By every estimate, there are tens of millions of self-employed Americans.
We vote too.
Thank you, Kim. As a Republican, this infuriates me. Appealing to the 10%, when you should be seeking the 90%, isn't practical as a voter outreach tool. I believe most on the Right are still pro-freelance, but there are a handful - a couple Senators - who are being influenced by the likes of Oren Cass to pivot away from this. Sad what happened with the CRA. Know that plenty of us will fight alongside you to combat #FreelanceBusting.