Freelancers and a few of their fluffy friends from across Northern Virginia gathered over pints at Barnhouse Brewing in Leesburg on Saturday afternoon.
At Freelance “Pawlooza” – hosted by the Virginia chapter of Americans for Prosperity – freelancers spent several hours discussing the benefits, trials, and tribulations of choosing non-traditional employment arrangements – and how over-regulation can get in their way.
During the casual discussions held at the event, attendees brought up the need to untie benefits from employment, as the days of individuals working forty-hour 9-5 weeks for decades for a single employer are quickly seeing their end – especially in the post-pandemic era.
In a media release issued prior to the event, AFP’s Virginia chapter underscored the importance of their outreach efforts as “Virginia Independent Contractors are facing new regulatory and legislative threats that would undermine their flexibility and earning power.”
One such threat is a forthcoming change in the interpretation of the Fair Labor Standards Act by the United States Department of Labor which would put more regulatory barriers in place for freelancers.
In the aforementioned release, AFP-VA acting state director Ben Knotts said that his group “must do everything we can to support Virginia’s Independent Contractors, including advancing legislative solutions that protect their livelihood. Since the pandemic started, more Virginians than ever are turning to flexible work to do work they’re passionate about and supplement their income, while prioritizing their health and family.”