The Communication Workers of America, a labor union to which more than 32,000 disgruntled AT&T workers belong, has organized a strike to protest AT&T’s proposed changes to their contracts. Negotiations began on July 20 between AT&T representatives and CWA, but several key members of the CWA have stated that if the two parties do not reach an agreement soon, widespread striking will occur.
 
Among the strikers’ most pressing concerns are outsourcing, which has claimed a total of 22,000 jobs by giving them to foreigners, salaries, healthcare, and retirement benefits, all of which may be affected when AT&T drafts the new contract. …read more

When you start working with a new client, they might ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. They’re actually quite common, especially on bidding sites where you might not get the job. An NDA protects the intellectual property surrounding a project…but as a writer, is it a good idea to sign one?
First, let’s understand want an NDA really is. Sometimes called a confidentiality agreement, and NDA protects ideas and works-in-progress. For example, let’s say that Company A wants to hire a writer to work on a brochure for a new cell phone they’re developing. Before telling all the …read more

As a freelance writer, you’ve probably faced a number of contracts (or you will in the future), and some of those contracts may have a “kill fee” clause. That sounds dangerous, right?
Actually, a kill fee can really protect you as a writer in the event that the project gets canceled or your client changes his/her mind about the work. Every day, however, I’m amazed at how many writers don’t know what a kill fee is or why it is an important part of a contract.
First things first: a kill fee is an amount you are paid if the client decides …read more

Yesterday, we talked a little about surviving scams. As one commenter mentioned, a good contract doesn’t mean that someone won’t try to rip you off. However, having a solid contract means that you will at least have a way to take action if you so choose.
Every contract will be slightly different. Sometimes clients will provide you with a contract of their own. Other times, it will be up to you to request using a contract. EVERYTHING is negotiable. Most writers understand that you need to read a contract very carefully, but don’t fall into a trap where you think a …read more

Whenever you work on a contract basis, there’s always the potential that someone will try to take advantage of you. And when that happens – believe me, it will happen – you’ll ether be able to stop them or you’ll be a victim. Careful contract planning, which we’ll talk about later this week, is the key to making sure that you never get scammed in the first place…but it happens to the best of us. Maybe there was a loophole in your contract. Maybe the amount isn’t worth going to court to get back. Maybe the scammers used a fake …read more

I recently met with some potential new clients, and we had a conversation which I’ve had over and over again with businesses considering entering the US. I’ve decided to cover some of those issues here in what will be a somewhat sporadic series on the legal aspects of doing business in the US.
The first thing non-US business people need to know is that US contract law is a lot more flexible than in many other countries – which can be both good and bad. It’s good in the sense that if you can dream up a transaction you can probably …read more