A dramatic shift in the employment status of the nation’s marine writers and editors is underway – from full-time staff to freelance – raising concerns among many of the nation’s scribes that not only is the health of publishing at stake, but their personal well-being as well.
With the percentage of boating journalists who are members of Boating Writers International (BWI) now calling themselves “freelance” mushrooming from 42 percent in 2005 to 65 percent in 2009, how to get health care – and how to pay for it even if you can get it – is a hot topic. It is especially relevant as 65 percent of those responding to the latest BWI member survey indicate that they are age 51 or older.
To meet this growing concern, BWI will present “Confused About Health-Care Reform: We’ve Got Answers” during its bi-annual meeting at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show on Friday, October 29, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Harbor Lights Room of the Bahia Mar Hotel.
Featured speakers include Gary Jenkins, a managing director at RSM McGladrey, a benefits management firm, and David Bruns, communications manager for AARP Florida.
“With nearly 14,000 jobs lost at America’s daily newspapers alone since the onset of the Great Recession and the downgrading of thousands of positions from full time to freelance, those who have survived want to know what health-care reform will mean to them,” said BWI director Michael Sciulla, chairman of the committee producing the forum.
“This is an issue that not only affects those who are currently employed, but those who may lose their jobs in the years to come,” said Sciulla, pointing out that the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 21.6 percent decline in the number of reporters and a 16.9 percent decrease in the number of editors by 2018. He noted that interest in health-care reform extends well beyond journalists to the entire recreational boating industry where many are employed in relatively small businesses on a less-than-full-time basis.
Although most of the major health-care reform changes will be phased in by 2014, a number of changes will be implemented before then. “Our speakers have invaluable information on these upcoming changes and ample time has been set aside for questions and answers,” said Sciulla.
BWI meetings and seminars are open to all in the marine community.