Freelancers Union
Professional services
UnclaimedA U.S. nonprofit that advocates for independent workers and connects freelancers with benefits, education, tools, and community programs.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Freelancers Union is a New York City–based nonprofit organization focused on the economic security and professional needs of independent workers in the United States. It was created within Working Today, a 501(c)(3) organization founded by labor lawyer and organizer Sara Horowitz, to address the lack of portable benefits for people whose work is not tied to a single conventional employer. Its intended constituency has included freelancers, consultants, independent contractors, temporary workers, part-time workers, contingent employees, and other self-employed people. The organization uses the language of unionism and collective action, but it is not a certified labor union and is not affiliated with a traditional union. Under U.S. labor law, it does not bargain collectively with employers over wages or working conditions, negotiate employment contracts, or formally represent workers in workplace grievances. Instead, it has pursued what it describes as a collective platform for independent workers: organizing information and community, advocating for policy change, and using group purchasing or partnership arrangements to improve access to benefits. A central concept associated with Freelancers Union is portable benefits. Rather than attaching health coverage and other protections to an employer, the model attempts to attach benefits to the individual so that coverage can continue as a worker changes clients, projects, or occupations. The organization has offered or facilitated access to health, dental, disability, life, liability, and retirement-related products, as well as financial information, business-management resources, networking opportunities, discounts, meetings, seminars, and online tools. Membership is generally free, although particular events and services may carry fees and insurance products require premiums. The organization’s benefits work developed through several institutional forms. Its Portable Benefits Network began operating in the early 2000s. In 2008, Freelancers Insurance Company was established as a licensed, wholly owned for-profit insurance company connected to the nonprofit’s benefits strategy. It began offering health coverage to eligible New York members in 2009, using group insurance arrangements and a BlueCross BlueShield provider network. Freelancers Insurance Company stopped offering coverage at the end of 2014, after which Freelancers Union moved toward a broader benefits-brokerage and information-platform model. The National Benefits Platform, announced in 2014, was designed to help independent workers compare benefits available in their locations across the country. Freelancers Union has also emphasized public policy. Its campaigns have addressed late payment, contract protections, portable benefits, and recognition of the growing independent workforce. The organization supported the Freelance Isn't Free Act in New York City and later worked with And Co to publish a standard freelance contract designed to help independent workers understand and enforce payment terms. In 2016, it advised Uber on portable-benefit strategies connected to New York City drivers and the Independent Drivers Guild, an association created to advocate for protections for those drivers. The organization has been influential in popularizing the idea that freelancers require a separate social-safety-net architecture, but it has also attracted criticism. Traditional unionists have argued that an association without collective-bargaining power cannot deliver the same gains as a certified labor union. Its health-insurance transitions, eligibility rules, and the cost and complexity of individual coverage have also generated criticism. Rafael Espinal became executive director and president in January 2020. Freelancers Union remains an active U.S. nonprofit brand centered on advocacy, benefits access, and practical support for independent workers.
History
Freelancers Union developed from Working Today, a New York nonprofit founded by Sara Horowitz in 1995. Horowitz had worked as a labor lawyer and union organizer, and she established Working Today to address the needs of an expanding independent workforce whose employment relationships did not fit the standard employer-employee model. The organization argued that freelancers could require collective infrastructure even when they could not legally form a conventional union or bargain with employers. In 2001, Working Today launched the Portable Benefits Network. Its purpose was to explore a system in which benefits followed workers rather than jobs. The approach reflected the reality that an independent worker might move repeatedly among clients, projects, temporary assignments, or occupations without receiving employer-sponsored health insurance or other conventional benefits. The network provided access to insurance-related products and combined benefits information with financial, educational, and professional resources. A rebranding in 2003 gave the program the Freelancers Union name and a more recognizable public identity. The organization offered free access to basic membership services, meetings, information, and online tools, while charging for selected events, seminars, and purchased insurance. Its audience included consultants, independent contractors, contingent workers, part-time workers, and self-employed people. Although the organization used the term “members,” it did not operate as a dues-funded union with a conventional membership roll. Health coverage became a major part of the organization’s operating model. In 2008, Freelancers Insurance Company was created as a licensed, wholly owned for-profit affiliate. The project required outside financial backing, including grants and loans arranged with philanthropic support. Beginning January 1, 2009, the company offered group health plans to eligible Freelancers Union participants in New York. The plans included several copayment and high-deductible designs and used a nationwide BlueCross BlueShield network. This arrangement sought to use collective purchasing power to make coverage more workable for people buying outside an employer plan. The insurance model also generated controversy. In 2008, a change from Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield to the new insurance-company structure left some participants comparing unfamiliar plan limits, exclusions, coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. Contemporary criticism focused on higher costs, complexity, and reports that some people were inadvertently dropped during the transition. More generally, critics questioned whether an association could overcome the structural expense of individual coverage and the limitations of the U.S. insurance market. Freelancers Union expanded its policy work during the late 2000s and 2010s. A political action committee made its public debut in 2009. In 2010, the Get Paid, Not Played campaign and the related World’s Longest Invoice effort highlighted late payment and nonpayment, seeking legal remedies comparable to protections available to conventional employees. In 2013, the organization supported medical clinics intended to serve members of Freelancers Insurance Company and introduced a benefits-oriented national infrastructure. The National Benefits Platform, announced in 2014, was designed to help workers search by ZIP code for benefits such as health, dental, disability, life, liability, and retirement products. Freelancers Insurance Company ended its coverage offering at the end of that year. The organization continued to combine advocacy with practical tools. In 2016, it advised Uber on portable benefits for New York City drivers in connection with the Independent Drivers Guild. In 2017, Freelancers Union worked with And Co on a standard freelance contract that incorporated concepts associated with New York City’s Freelance Isn't Free Act. These initiatives reflected a broader strategy of improving payment security, access to benefits, and contract literacy without claiming the formal bargaining authority of a certified labor union. Freelancers Union has remained distinct from traditional unions. It does not negotiate wages or working conditions with employers and cannot generally represent freelancers in collective bargaining under federal labor law. Supporters view its model as a form of open-source or association-based unionism adapted to fragmented work. Critics argue that without enforceable bargaining rights it cannot secure the same workplace gains as established labor organizations. Rafael Espinal became executive director and president in January 2020, succeeding the founding era led by Horowitz. The organization’s continuing identity centers on independent-worker advocacy, portable-benefit policy, education, community, and curated access to services.
- 2020
Rafael Espinal takes executive leadership
[1]Rafael Espinal becomes executive director and president in January.
- 2017
Standard freelance contract launches
[1]Freelancers Union and And Co release a contract template intended to strengthen freelancer payment and engagement practices.
- 2016
Uber portable-benefits advisory arrangement
[1]Freelancers Union advises Uber on benefits strategies for drivers in New York City and beyond.
- 2014
National Benefits Platform is announced
[1]The organization introduces a nationwide benefits-search and brokerage concept for independent workers.
- 2014
Freelancers Insurance Company stops offering coverage
[1]The affiliate ends its insurance offering at the close of 2014.
- 2013
Medical clinics open
[1]Freelancers Union-funded clinics begin serving members of Freelancers Insurance Company with primary-care and wellness services.
- 2010
Get Paid, Not Played campaign launches
[1]A campaign draws attention to late payment and nonpayment affecting independent workers.
- 2009
Health plans begin
[1]Freelancers Insurance Company begins offering health coverage to eligible Freelancers Union participants on January 1.
- 2009
Political action committee makes its debut
[1]The organization introduces a political action committee intended to identify and support candidates aligned with freelancer concerns.
- 2008
Freelancers Insurance Company is established
[1]A licensed insurance affiliate is created to provide group health coverage to eligible New York freelancers.
Products and positioning
Advocacy, benefits access, and practical infrastructure for freelancers and other independent workers, rather than conventional collective bargaining.
Benefits platform · 2001
Portable Benefits Network
The Portable Benefits Network was the organization’s early infrastructure for connecting independent workers with benefits and related services. It was designed around portability: health and other protections should remain associated with the person rather than disappearing when a project or client ends. The network also incorporated information about financial services, discounts, and professional resources.
Health insurance · 2009
Freelancers Insurance Company
Freelancers Insurance Company was a wholly owned, licensed insurance affiliate established to offer group health coverage to eligible Freelancers Union participants in New York. Its plans included copayment and high-deductible options and used a nationwide BlueCross BlueShield network. The company stopped offering coverage at the end of 2014.
Benefits brokerage and information · 2014
National Benefits Platform
The National Benefits Platform was introduced as a nationwide tool for independent workers seeking benefits. It was intended to allow users to search by location for available health, dental, disability, life, liability, and retirement-related products, reflecting Freelancers Union’s transition away from directly underwriting health coverage.
Legal and business tools · 2017
Freelance contract resources
Freelancers Union provides contract and business-management resources intended to help independent workers define scope, payment terms, and professional relationships. In 2017, the organization collaborated with And Co on a standard freelance contract associated with protections under New York City’s Freelance Isn't Free Act.
Education and networking · 2003
Community and education programs
The organization’s community offering includes meetings, seminars, networking opportunities, online information, and practical guidance for people working independently. Basic access is free, while some events or specialized services may require payment.
Controversies
2008
Criticism of insurance-provider transition
Members and press reports criticized the transition from Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield to Freelancers Insurance Company plans. Complaints concerned higher costs, complicated comparisons among plan terms, and reports that some members were inadvertently removed from coverage.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Get Paid, Not Played
United States
The campaign publicized the financial consequences of late and missing payments for freelancers and framed payment protection as a core labor-policy issue.
Outcome. It helped build public attention around stronger legal remedies for independent workers; a definitive campaign-specific legislative outcome is not established in the supplied material.
- 2009Freelancers Union political action committee
United States
The political action committee surveyed potential candidates and sought to support officials aligned with the policy interests of independent workers.
Outcome. The committee established a political channel for the organization, but candidate-specific outcomes are not detailed in the supplied sources.
- World's Longest Invoice
United States
A related publicity initiative used an extremely delayed invoice as a symbol of the payment problems experienced by freelancers and promoted the proposed Freelancer Payment Protection Act.
Outcome. The effort sought to extend certain nonpayment remedies to self-employed workers; the supplied material does not establish a specific enactment date or final legislative result.
Brand decisions
2017
Launch standard freelance contract with And CoProduct launchBackground
Freelancers often lack standardized contracting practices and may face difficulty enforcing payment terms.
Action taken
Freelancers Union and And Co released a standard contract designed around clearer freelance engagements and New York City payment-protection law.
Aftermath
The contract expanded the organization’s practical support beyond benefits and policy advocacy into day-to-day business administration.
2016
Advise Uber on portable benefitsStrategyBackground
Platform-based drivers lacked many benefits traditionally linked to employment, creating demand for portable forms of protection.
Action taken
Freelancers Union advised Uber on strategies for building a portable-benefits platform and participated in the arrangement surrounding the Independent Drivers Guild in New York City.
Aftermath
The initiative extended Freelancers Union’s model into the gig economy and driver workforce.
2014
Shift from direct insurance offering to national benefits platformStrategyBackground
Freelancers Insurance Company ended its health-insurance offering at the end of 2014, while independent workers continued to need geographically varied benefits options.
Action taken
Freelancers Union emphasized curated benefits information and brokerage through the National Benefits Platform.
Aftermath
The model moved from operating a captive insurer toward helping freelancers locate and evaluate third-party benefits.
2008
Create Freelancers Insurance CompanyStrategyBackground
The organization sought a way to provide group health coverage to eligible freelancers in New York.
Action taken
It established a wholly owned, licensed insurance company that began offering plans in January 2009.
Aftermath
The arrangement broadened access to group-style plans but also produced criticism over cost, plan complexity, and the administration of the transition.
Capital raised. $17 million (2008)
2003
Adopt the Freelancers Union identityStrategyBackground
Working Today’s Portable Benefits Network needed a public identity aimed specifically at independent workers.
Action taken
The initiative was relaunched under the Freelancers Union name and expanded its advocacy, discussion, and member-service functions.
Aftermath
The new identity helped establish a recognizable national brand, although the organization remained an association rather than a certified labor union.
Sources2 sources
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