Individual Needs Versus Collective Interests: Network Dynamics in the Freelance Editorial Association

The Freelance Editorial Association, founded in the 1980s, was an organization of editorial professionals working on contract. Through its 15 years of operation, the organization developed a model of collective representation and sought to improve employment practices and work relations for these contingent workers. Expanding through occupational networks, the association established a program of services and a set of principles for advocacy, which it applied on behalf of members seeking resolution of disputes with clients. The organization, however, proved unsustainable. Resource constraints, labor market structures, and the underlying dynamics of occupational networks, which operated in the interests of clients as well as freelancers, undermined its model. Although the association addressed many individual needs, it generated little leverage toward promoting collective interests. Its efforts, however, offer caveats for the development of new models of collective representation.

Debra OsnowitzEmail:

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Debra Osnowitz   is Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Her research interests include multiple forms of contingent work and their implications for organizations, occupations, and individuals. Her current project addresses contract professionals and the institutional arrangements that support their work.