Judge Rules That Movie Studio Should Have Been Paying Interns
A Federal District Court judge in Manhattan ruled on Tuesday that Fox Searchlight Pictures had violated federal and New York minimum wage laws by not paying production interns, a case that could upend the long-held practice of the film industry and other businesses that rely heavily on unpaid internships.
In the decision, Judge William H. Pauley III ruled that Fox Searchlight should have paid two interns on the movie Black Swan, because they were essentially regular employees.
The judge noted that these internships did not foster an educational environment and that the studio received the benefits of the work. The case could have broad implications. Young people have flocked to internships, especially against the backdrop of a weak job market.
Employment experts estimate that undergraduates work in more than one million internships a year, an estimated half of which are unpaid, according to Intern Bridge, a research firm.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/business/judge-rules-for-interns-who-sued-fox-searchlight.html?_r=2&
liberal N proud
(60,349 posts)To expect a person to live 6 months to a year without any income while on the other side for many, they are being hit with student loan payments is criminal.
madaboutharry
(40,238 posts)It is a con to get young people to work for free. It should be against the law.