As of January 1, the disastrous bill AB 5 officially went into effect. In late 2019, lawsuits were filed by two separate groups outlining the unconstitutional nature of the law. Authored by lobbyist puppet Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, the AB 5 effectively eliminates the freelance industry, equating to a substantial amount of jobs lost.
Gonzalez created the bill to “protect workers” and their rights by forcing businesses to turn their independent workers into employees. However, businesses that are affected have instead been forced to fire their independent workers, leaving them without a job or income. For example, Vox Media let go of hundreds of their freelance writers in order to remain in compliance with AB 5.
Moreover, the law puts a constraint on the work freelancers can produce and submit before they are required to become employees. Yet, based on the current trend, most businesses will not turn the freelancers into employees as a way to avoid paying the associated costs.
Within the last month, though, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, as well as the National Press Photographers Association, have voiced their concerns via lawsuits. In the Los Angeles federal court, both groups are suing to remove AB 5 on the basis of income obstruction. Moreover, the groups claim the law unfairly disadvantages freelance journalists in comparison to other fields that involve speech. To further supplement their argument, the groups outline how the law increases costs to publishers while writers lose their capacity to engage in freelance work.
While the lawsuits may stay in the court for some time, this will certainly not be the last of its kind. The damage from Assemblywoman Gonzalez’s actions with respect to AB 5 is exponential and overwhelming. It’s clearly evident that her loyalty only lies with labor union lobbyists, as her constituents have lost any prioritization from her.
Moreover, the fact that other complicit California Democrats have remained supportive of the atrocity of AB 5 highlights their corruption and obsession with political power. Once again, California Democrats have grossly failed and ignored their constituents and continue to further actions even at the expense of others.
