Newspapers in California this week are making the news, in an effort to protect your access to the news.
You may have seen the editorials and messages from several major newspapers up and down the state.
The newspaper publishers are urging state lawmakers and the governor not to make law…a bill that you may have heard a lot about lately. That is authored state assembly member Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego.
It’s AB 5, the measure that would require workers who are now independent contractors to be employees and covered under minimum wage and other labor laws.
The news from the newspapers for state leaders is that the law could drastically affect the news business and its readers.
As the Sacramento Bee puts it, “AB 5 would make daily delivery of the print version of the newspaper impossible”. Saying that “by requiring newspaper carriers to be employees, it would disrupt and destabilize the news industry at a time when accurate, credible news is most needed and most threatened.”
How AB 5 would affect newspapers may be an unintended consequence of the measure, but unless they make an exemption for newspapers, you will probably find it harder to read about it…in a newspaper.
(Photo credit Sacramento Bee)