Since the economic downturn, it's been really tough to find a job. But there is a certain type of work that is becoming more and more readily available: temporary, freelance and contract jobs. 

Jezebel writer Laura Beck writes in We’ve Seen the Future, and You’re Freelancing:

Artists are finding it harder and harder to get paid...is it time for them to strap on a hard hat and form unions? Salon writer Scott Timberg asks this question in his new article, Can Unions Save the Creative Class? This article is part of a Salon series brought to you by the AFL-CIO.

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) has brought union representation to a growing group of workers who do not fit the traditional union model: freelance writers and producers who work on nonfiction TV shows.