1
00:00:01,639 --> 00:00:05,360
Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly

2
00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:09,440
Speaker 1: conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on

3
00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,160
Speaker 1: one Oho six point seven light FM.

4
00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:17,239
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to Get Connected. From designers to writers, accountants,

5
00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,680
Speaker 2: at based workers, and many other fields. About a third

6
00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:23,920
Speaker 2: of New York City's total workforce engages in some sort

7
00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,480
Speaker 2: of freelance work. The work is ride ranging. It affords

8
00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,480
Speaker 2: us plenty of freedom, but being an independent worker often

9
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,720
Speaker 2: also means working without access to traditional employment protections such

10
00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:39,720
Speaker 2: as healthcare, retirement, or paid leave. Our guest is Rafael Espinal,

11
00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,680
Speaker 2: Executive director of the Freelancers Union, for a conversation about

12
00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,360
Speaker 2: the growing independent workforce and portable benefits. You can find

13
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,920
Speaker 2: out more at Freelancersunion dot org. Rafael Espinal, thank you

14
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:51,960
Speaker 2: for being on Get Connected.

15
00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:53,519
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.

16
00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:58,040
Speaker 2: The Freelancers Union is the largest organization representing independent workers

17
00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,640
Speaker 2: in the country, advocating for power change providing benefits in

18
00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:06,080
Speaker 2: building community. With over five hundred thousand members nationwide, they

19
00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:11,119
Speaker 2: include graphic designers, contractors, artists, entrepreneurs, and gig workers. Membership

20
00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,399
Speaker 2: is free and open to all US based freelancers. Let's

21
00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,320
Speaker 2: start with you, Raphael So your background, how did you

22
00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:21,200
Speaker 2: get to this point? What inspired you to take on

23
00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:22,840
Speaker 2: the leadership of the Freelancers Union.

24
00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,280
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a long story, but I'll start off by

25
00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,040
Speaker 3: saying that I'm a born and raised in Brooklyn. I

26
00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,160
Speaker 3: I'm a son of Dominican immigrants who were both union members,

27
00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,640
Speaker 3: traditional union members and freelancers. And I had no plans

28
00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:37,479
Speaker 3: in my life of being an advocate or getting involved

29
00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,280
Speaker 3: in politics or policy. But it's where life took me,

30
00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,680
Speaker 3: and it was fueled by a burning desire to see

31
00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:45,080
Speaker 3: the inequities I've experienced growing up in New York City

32
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:49,040
Speaker 3: and so my neighbors experience be properly addressed by our government.

33
00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,120
Speaker 3: So I stuck and I got into a career public service,

34
00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:53,880
Speaker 3: and I stuck with it. And my first job out

35
00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,680
Speaker 3: of college was working for a city council member. And then,

36
00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:58,280
Speaker 3: at twenty six years old and I said it to

37
00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:00,440
Speaker 3: run for office, where I served there in the New

38
00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,360
Speaker 3: York State Assembly and then I won. And then I

39
00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,000
Speaker 3: served in the New York City Council where I represented

40
00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,600
Speaker 3: the neighborhoods of Cycer, Sales, East New York and Bushwick.

41
00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,359
Speaker 3: And there I fought for issues that affected all New Yorkers.

42
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,320
Speaker 3: But also we can argue freelancers and that's access to

43
00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:18,880
Speaker 3: affordable housing right, that's creating better socio economic conditions for

44
00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,959
Speaker 3: those in the lower income spectrum. And I'm more frienlessly

45
00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,040
Speaker 3: known for repealing the cabaret Law and creating the Office

46
00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,200
Speaker 3: of Nightlife, which I can argue benefits creative workers and

47
00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:37,480
Speaker 3: freelancers in the nightlife industry. So in twenty twenty, the

48
00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,480
Speaker 3: Freelancers Union was looking for a new executive director, and

49
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,920
Speaker 3: given my history working in local government and politics and

50
00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,040
Speaker 3: actually working with the union and creating the nation's first

51
00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,000
Speaker 3: non payment protection law, the Freelancers and Free Act, because

52
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:53,840
Speaker 3: of the relationship that we're built, I just thought it

53
00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,560
Speaker 3: was a natural evolution of my work to be able

54
00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,400
Speaker 3: to use my experience in government and my care and

55
00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,520
Speaker 3: advocacy representing communities that I feel are often voiceless and

56
00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,880
Speaker 3: left out of the process, and use a position to

57
00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:12,120
Speaker 3: further the work of the union and further the impact

58
00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,000
Speaker 3: government have on creating a fair economy for the independent workforce.

59
00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:21,200
Speaker 2: Do Freelancers Union represents such a wide range of workers, again,

60
00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,560
Speaker 2: from artists to actors to accountants. How does the union

61
00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:25,800
Speaker 2: support such a diverse group.

62
00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,480
Speaker 3: Yeah, so we represent over half a million workers across

63
00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,079
Speaker 3: the country, all in different industry and professions. As you mentioned,

64
00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:38,800
Speaker 3: we have creative professionals, we have writers, designers, filmmakers, artists,

65
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,280
Speaker 3: but also people in tech and marketing and journalism and healthcare. Really,

66
00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,440
Speaker 3: if you are in a traditional if you are someone

67
00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,360
Speaker 3: who are considering yourself to be self employed out of

68
00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,160
Speaker 3: the traditional workplace environment, we are an organization focused on

69
00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,160
Speaker 3: working towards addressing your needs. And the way we are

70
00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,760
Speaker 3: able to create such a wide umbrella is because we

71
00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,040
Speaker 3: that commentary that all independent works have in common, and

72
00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:07,840
Speaker 3: that's how to follow your taxes, getting access to expensive

73
00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:12,640
Speaker 3: benefits and especially healthcare. We've built the foundation that ensures

74
00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:17,760
Speaker 3: that anyone who falls within the independent worker model has

75
00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,800
Speaker 3: access to some sort of education or resources that are

76
00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:22,640
Speaker 3: going to support them along their freelance journey.

77
00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,919
Speaker 2: Our guest is Raphael Espinal. He's executive director of the

78
00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,080
Speaker 2: Freelancers Union. As he mentioned, he served in the State Assembly.

79
00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:32,200
Speaker 2: He was actually New York's youngest elected official at twenty six.

80
00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:34,479
Speaker 2: He then served on the New York City Council and

81
00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,880
Speaker 2: has been executive director of Freelancers Union since twenty twenty.

82
00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,760
Speaker 2: You can find out more about the organization at Freelancers

83
00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,320
Speaker 2: Union dot org. You're listening to get connected on one

84
00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,400
Speaker 2: OHO six point seven light FM Amina del Rio. And

85
00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,640
Speaker 2: one of the issues you've most been vocal about particularly

86
00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,159
Speaker 2: is portable benefits. Let's talk about what that is to

87
00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:52,760
Speaker 2: begin with.

88
00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, so portal benefits, I know can be a confusing term,

89
00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,920
Speaker 3: but basically I like to see it as a benefit

90
00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,200
Speaker 3: for all model. Right. Currently, if you're a traditional nine

91
00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,599
Speaker 3: to five employee, you have access traditional benefits like unemployment insurance,

92
00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:12,360
Speaker 3: workman's comp group healthcare plans. But if you go out

93
00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,120
Speaker 3: with the science to go out on your own and

94
00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:18,359
Speaker 3: begin to freelance, now all of those benefits are benefits

95
00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:20,960
Speaker 3: that you have to find a way to carve out

96
00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,279
Speaker 3: the income you're making to be able to cover some

97
00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,160
Speaker 3: of those expenses. Right, So, now you're paying for your

98
00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,320
Speaker 3: own health insurance plan, which can be seven hundred dollars

99
00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,320
Speaker 3: a month on average. If you're an individual, you're now

100
00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,480
Speaker 3: saving money in the case you have trouble finding gigs

101
00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,360
Speaker 3: and finding work, right create your own unemployment insurance a

102
00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:45,240
Speaker 3: savings pool to cover you during those times that you

103
00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,680
Speaker 3: have in trouble finding clients. So what we're arguing is that,

104
00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,680
Speaker 3: you know, the the nature of our workforce has evolved

105
00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,359
Speaker 3: over the past few decades, and even more now after

106
00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,719
Speaker 3: the COVID nineteen pandemic. More rapidly, we're seeing more and

107
00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:05,479
Speaker 3: more workers voluntarily or because it's what the market is

108
00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,000
Speaker 3: pushing for, a turn to freelance. Worker is the main

109
00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,520
Speaker 3: source of income. So we now need government to adapt

110
00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,240
Speaker 3: to that change. We need to ensure that any benefits

111
00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,960
Speaker 3: system that is created moving forward is taking the independent workers'

112
00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,400
Speaker 3: needs into account and creating a system that is accessible

113
00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,880
Speaker 3: to all workers, no matter whether you're working for a

114
00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,880
Speaker 3: tritional employer or whether you're working for yourself. And with

115
00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,080
Speaker 3: the portable benefits model, some of the models that are

116
00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,400
Speaker 3: actually being talked about right now are creating, for one case,

117
00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,280
Speaker 3: style accounts or let's say hasa accounts in which every

118
00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:42,040
Speaker 3: client you work for is now would be able to

119
00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,720
Speaker 3: contribute a small amount of money into the account, which

120
00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,600
Speaker 3: you are able to match and potentially have the government match,

121
00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:50,800
Speaker 3: so that you have a pull of savings that you

122
00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,760
Speaker 3: can use to purchase the benefits at a much more

123
00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,719
Speaker 3: subsidized cost, making it more affordable and more accessible for

124
00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:57,799
Speaker 3: you as an independent worker.

125
00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:01,520
Speaker 2: There has been you wrote about it, some legislation proposed

126
00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:06,680
Speaker 2: at the national level to address portable benefits. In your opinion,

127
00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,080
Speaker 2: maybe talk about sort of a little bit more about

128
00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:11,680
Speaker 2: those proposals and what is missing, what are the red

129
00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:12,280
Speaker 2: flags for you?

130
00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:17,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, it's encouraging to see governments on a local level,

131
00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,200
Speaker 3: on a national level actually having this conversation right thinking

132
00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,400
Speaker 3: through of how do we involve our evolve our current

133
00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,320
Speaker 3: benefit system to benefit all workers. But my main concern,

134
00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,560
Speaker 3: of course, is that it is being led by Republicans

135
00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,160
Speaker 3: and in more conservative states across the country. And I

136
00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,720
Speaker 3: think historically if you look back, anytime you have Republicans

137
00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:44,040
Speaker 3: talking about the future of work, they're usually talking about

138
00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:49,720
Speaker 3: the future of benefiting corporations and making sure that the

139
00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:54,760
Speaker 3: top down, trickle down economics continues to stay in place. Right,

140
00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,080
Speaker 3: if you look at the gig gig workforce stat has

141
00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:02,480
Speaker 3: evolved over the years, especially through APT based companies, we

142
00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,720
Speaker 3: see very attractive models of new ways of working. But

143
00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:07,680
Speaker 3: those models and at the end of the day, end

144
00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:11,760
Speaker 3: up benefiting the corporations instead of the workers for those models.

145
00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,440
Speaker 3: So we want to ensure that if we're going to

146
00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,440
Speaker 3: have this discussion on a federal level, that we have

147
00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:21,120
Speaker 3: to ensure that workers are being taken into account, that

148
00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,200
Speaker 3: any sort of benefits model gets pushed forward includes the

149
00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,160
Speaker 3: voices of the workers and the exploitation of these workers

150
00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:27,840
Speaker 3: off the table.

151
00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,160
Speaker 2: It's really interesting because the breath of freelancers is so

152
00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,240
Speaker 2: varied that we don't often think of ourselves as a unit,

153
00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,400
Speaker 2: and yet as a unit there is a lot of

154
00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,920
Speaker 2: potential power there. So freelancers union who are the other

155
00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:45,640
Speaker 2: stakeholders pushing to get things on the table that are

156
00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,880
Speaker 2: not necessarily pro business, that are more balanced towards workers.

157
00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,600
Speaker 3: There is a huge movement among the creative workforce and

158
00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,520
Speaker 3: organizations that represent artists that want to see a much

159
00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:02,280
Speaker 3: more fair benefit system created. Are artists, even though they

160
00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,480
Speaker 3: like to consider themselves as artists, they are also self employed.

161
00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:09,280
Speaker 3: They're also part of the freelance freelancer umbrella. So my

162
00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,960
Speaker 3: proposal to those who consider themselposed to be creative workers

163
00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,959
Speaker 3: or at based workers is that we have to start

164
00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,199
Speaker 3: seeing ourselves as a greater unit. As you mentioned, we

165
00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,680
Speaker 3: are under the same umbrella, and the sooner we're able

166
00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:24,680
Speaker 3: to come to the conclusion that we must work together

167
00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:29,000
Speaker 3: to create a unified voice to be able to advocate

168
00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,760
Speaker 3: for what is needed to serve the needs and the

169
00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:36,080
Speaker 3: concerns of the independent workforce. Sooner we'll be able to

170
00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,480
Speaker 3: see those changes on our federal level.

171
00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,520
Speaker 2: From your experience, your perspective, what are the things that

172
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,679
Speaker 2: gig workers that have come to the Freelancers Union are

173
00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,840
Speaker 2: most interested in seeing and most and avail themselves of

174
00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:49,760
Speaker 2: most at the moment.

175
00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:54,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, So we currently pose this question to our membership,

176
00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,760
Speaker 3: and we find that non payment concerns continue to be

177
00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,480
Speaker 3: the top concern of any every independent worker. There are

178
00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,520
Speaker 3: many instances we find we find over seventy six percent

179
00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,560
Speaker 3: of freelancers on an annual basis end up working with

180
00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:08,160
Speaker 3: a client that does not pay them or does not

181
00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,360
Speaker 3: pay them on time. So we've been trying to address

182
00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:13,760
Speaker 3: this issue, or we have been through this law call

183
00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,560
Speaker 3: of Freelances and Free Act. We passed that law in

184
00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,040
Speaker 3: the City of New York, making it the first city

185
00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,760
Speaker 3: in the country to such a such a law, which

186
00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:23,920
Speaker 3: means that now you have the right to a contract,

187
00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:26,400
Speaker 3: you have the right to a net pay of thirty days,

188
00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:29,559
Speaker 3: and if the client does not agree to those terms,

189
00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:31,520
Speaker 3: or doesn't end up paying you on time. You can

190
00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:33,720
Speaker 3: now rely on the City of New York, so intervening

191
00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,200
Speaker 3: on your behalf, and we have been able to see

192
00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,520
Speaker 3: that law push for that lot to proliferate across the country.

193
00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:40,360
Speaker 3: We now have that law in the state of California,

194
00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:42,560
Speaker 3: in the state of Illinois, in the statey of Seattle.

195
00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,040
Speaker 3: So we want to see that continued work happened across

196
00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,120
Speaker 3: the country. But we also hear, as we've been talking

197
00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:53,040
Speaker 3: about earlier, that the access to affordable healthcare country is

198
00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:56,080
Speaker 3: to get top concern when we talk about the rising

199
00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:00,360
Speaker 3: costs of living, The rising inflation that's happening now because

200
00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:06,640
Speaker 3: of President's Trump's need or wrath to put tariffs globally

201
00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,600
Speaker 3: is taking a toll on people's ability to pay for

202
00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:13,160
Speaker 3: basic needs and necessities, and folks are deciding to go

203
00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:20,400
Speaker 3: uninsured or underinsured because of that. So we see healthcare

204
00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,040
Speaker 3: as being one of those top concerns and well as well,

205
00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:26,080
Speaker 3: and one we hope to address as we continue the

206
00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,720
Speaker 3: conversation around creating a portable benefit system.

207
00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,199
Speaker 2: As you as that conversation also moves forward, what message

208
00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,199
Speaker 2: do you want freelancers to take away about their future

209
00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,000
Speaker 2: and their role in this advocacy.

210
00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:39,720
Speaker 1: Yeah.

211
00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:43,520
Speaker 3: Well, the freelance workforce is a fragmented workforce and because

212
00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:49,040
Speaker 3: of that, every independent worker is open to exploitation by

213
00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,120
Speaker 3: a client or a company they're working with. And the

214
00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,640
Speaker 3: message I want freelancers to hear is that you're not alone,

215
00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,680
Speaker 3: right the freelance I know, the freelance life can feel isolating,

216
00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:58,960
Speaker 3: but there's a community of hundreds of thousands of people

217
00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,720
Speaker 3: just like you that we are working with to build

218
00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,560
Speaker 3: a unified voice, to to create greater power with within

219
00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,520
Speaker 3: the workforce. So, no matter if you consider yourself a

220
00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:14,040
Speaker 3: self employed as lrepreneur, a gig worker, founder, or an artist,

221
00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,080
Speaker 3: you know Freelancers Union seader to write support, to advocate

222
00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:19,600
Speaker 3: on your behalf and to make sure your workers are respected.

223
00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,680
Speaker 3: So I ask you all to take the time go

224
00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,040
Speaker 3: on Freelancers Union dot org and look at the work

225
00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,640
Speaker 3: we're doing and how you can be more involved in

226
00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,480
Speaker 3: ensuring that we're creating a better and brighter future for you.

227
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,800
Speaker 2: There are so many resources on the website. What motivates

228
00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,480
Speaker 2: you personally to do this work? What's your philosophy?

229
00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, So, as I mentioned earlier at the top, I

230
00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,280
Speaker 3: grew up in a community that I felt was often

231
00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:47,600
Speaker 3: voiceless in the in the in the governmental process, and

232
00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,080
Speaker 3: looking at the freelance workforce, I see the same.

233
00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:51,439
Speaker 1: Right.

234
00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:55,079
Speaker 3: These are These are workers who are fighting to ensure

235
00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:01,040
Speaker 3: that government is working more equitably and sharing that all

236
00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,760
Speaker 3: of its citizens and residents have access to the basic

237
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:10,559
Speaker 3: needs of access to benefits, you know, being able to earn,

238
00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:12,680
Speaker 3: earn an income and put food on the table, be

239
00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,920
Speaker 3: able to raise a family, be able to find affordable housing.

240
00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:19,680
Speaker 3: So that's where my passion lize and ensuring that we

241
00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:23,360
Speaker 3: are creating a more equitable and just society for all workers.

242
00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,520
Speaker 2: You can find out more about the organization at Freelancers

243
00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:30,400
Speaker 2: Union dot org. Our guest has been executive director Raphael Espinal.

244
00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:32,160
Speaker 2: Thank you for being on Get Connected.

245
00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:33,840
Speaker 3: Thank you for having us pleasure.

246
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,439
Speaker 1: This has been Get Connected with Nina del Rio on

247
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,240
Speaker 1: one oh six point seven light Fm. The views and

248
00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,959
Speaker 1: opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views

249
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,079
Speaker 1: of the station. If you missed any part of our

250
00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,439
Speaker 1: show or want to share it, visit our website for

251
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,560
Speaker 1: downloads and podcasts at one oh six to seven lightfm

252
00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,680
Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks for listening.