Artist Labor Policy for 2016

By: Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition

The Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition (MALC) is dedicated to empowering artists of all disciplines and promoting the arts, culture, and the creative economy throughout the Commonwealth. We work to ensure artists of all disciplines have a meaningful place at policymaking tables at all levels of government.

MALC’s Labor Policy paper contains our recommendations to promote and grow all artistic disciplines across all sectors. Our comprehensive policy includes recommendations for labor, education, housing, health and welfare, economic development, fiscal policy, and human rights. The reason for this broad reach is that artists — and their underpaid/unpaid labor — are the foundation that sustains and grows the arts, culture, and creative economy. Artists work in every economic sector, and in a comprehensive mix of jobs — a fact that most studies do not take into account. Addressing the policy insufficiencies artists face means looking across classifications to see their interconnections and impacts.

MALC believes artists of all disciplines should never be expected to provide work or services for free or below a living wage. Nor should artists be expected to forfeit rights of ownership over their work. Of paramount importance is protecting all artists’ rights to their intellectual property. Governmental, nonprofit, and private sectors must abide by fair labor standards when engaging with artists of any discipline. Private entities contracting with or receiving money from government, at any level, must abide by fair labor standards when employing or contracting artists of any discipline.

Therefore, we strongly believe that encouraging and adopting new standards and regulations, while strengthening those that already exist, are key steps to enabling artists of all disciplines to thrive in a sustainable manner

Therefore, we strongly believe that encouraging and adopting new standards and regulations, while strengthening those that already exist, are key steps to enabling artists of all disciplines to thrive in a sustainable manner. Our community’s well-being depends on the adoption of these labor policy recommendations. We look forward to working with our partners and key stakeholders to improve the working lives of all Massachusetts artists. (pdf version: MALC 2016 labor policy paper)

10 Key Issues Identified

1. The expectation that artists of all disciplines will work for free or well below a living wage
2. The very real problem of student and/or volunteer labor undercutting a fair wage floor for working artists
3. The issue of exploitation of adjunct professors and graduate students in both the Commonwealth’s and private sector’s college and university systems
4. The Independent Contractor issue and how it directly impacts the artists community
5. The issue of “Work for Hire” contract language used by non-profits when hiring creative talent
6. The need to protect the intellectual property rights of artists of all disciplines
7. The need to better support existing revenue steams and opportunities, and create and support new revenue streams and opportunities for artists working in the Commonwealth
8. The need to better recognize and understand that artists of all disciplines are a unique labor force who are key economic stakeholders
9. The issues of institutional racism, ageism, and sexual identity and gender discrimination that many artists of all disciplines face
10. The need for improved occupational health standards and wellness awareness for working artists

For more information on the individual key issues and how they will be addressed, visit MALC’s page on their labor policy here.