"[T]he Freelancers Union is one of the nation's fastest-growing labor organizations, with more than 200,000 members ... [It] doesn't bargain with employers, but it does address what is by far these workers' No. 1 concern, by providing them with affordable health insurance.... [M]any freelancers ... would rather have regular jobs, but companies will often hire them only as independent contractors. Companies find these workers less painful to dismiss and generally less costly because they rarely receive severance pay or benefits like health insurance or paid vacations."

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