Paul Glusman Weekly
Paul Glusman Weekly
Topic of the Week How Interns Are Protected In the Workplace
In today’s economy, internships are often a critical aspect of finding an entry-level position. More and more students are accepting internships to provide themselves with experience prior to applying for a full-time job. Almost a third of college students report working at an unpaid internship during their college years. Despite their popularity, interns face a lot of issues at their workplaces, like low or no pay, menial labor, and a lack of protections. It is important to know your rights as an intern to ensure you receive a meaningful and positive internship experience.
Yes, unpaid internships are legal if they primarily benefit the intern. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has a test, the “primary beneficiary test”, for determining whether an internship is legally allowed to be unpaid.
Paid interns, or employees who are called interns, have the same employment rights as other workers, such as a right to overtime, protection from harassment, and legislatively mandated leaves. All paid and unpaid interns are likely protected from illegal discrimination based on a protected characteristic like race, religion, gender, age, and sexual orientation. However, many states don’t have many laws protecting unpaid interns from sexual harassment.
Typically, government fellowships are geared towards people who have advanced degrees or comparable work experience. If you are a current graduate student who has an anticipated graduation date that precedes the expected start date for the fellowship, you may qualify for a government fellowship. However, you will need to confirm the specific qualifications required for any fellowship on the job listing.
Thought of the Week
"If the intern performs work that benefits the employer and that would otherwise be performed by a regular employee, it is unlikely to be an internship. Interns are not a way to get free labor."
–Brandon Ruiz, Attorney
Weekly Comic by Jerry King
Blog of the Week
Paid Sick Days Scarce Even After the Pandemic
Many workers have had to face COVID-19 with no paid sick time, and as usual, the burden falls most heavily on the workers who already have the least.
Top Five News Headlines
- ‘Real People That We Care About Are Being Exploited’
- Global Tremors, Jobs Numbers to Dominate Markets and the Economy as Fourth Quarter Begins
- Exxon Refinery Lockout 'Unlawful,' Back Pay Sought by U.S. Labor Board
- Cannabis’ (Not-So) Secret Labor Problem
- Amazon Raising Hourly Pay for Warehouse and Delivery Workers
List of the Week
from Workplace Fairness
Did you know that:
- 1/3 of internships are unpaid
- interns cannot legally perform the tasks of employees without compensation