Common use of Freelance Clause in Contracts

Freelance. Except under extraordinary circumstances, the Employer shall not assign or publish editorial content submitted by independent contractors or volunteers that constitutes a substitution for full-time or part-time bargaining unit positions and/or bargaining unit work. The nature of extraordinary circumstances shall include considerations of enterprise, exclusive access, first-person voice, frequency of contribution, proximity, timeliness, specialized knowledge and significant competitive advantage for the newspaper. It is understood that submissions including photos from citizen journalists must satisfy the criteria of infrequent contribution, plus enterprise or first person voice. Bargaining unit members will be notified of and considered for any new or renewed freelance assignments. Notwithstanding the above, the company may assign stories to paid or unpaid students as part of a bona fide educational internship to a maximum of two students at one time. However, no students may be extended beyond the expected term of an internship, and no new students shall be engaged in the event that a bargaining unit member is on lay-off.