Camille Olson Quoted in The New York Times
"Growth of Unpaid Internships May Be Illegal, Officials Say"

Camille Olson was quoted on April 2, 2010 in The New York Times article, "Growth of Unpaid Internships May Be Illegal, Officials Say." The article discussed the increase in unpaid internships in recent years, which has led federal and state regulators to worry that employers may be violating minimum wage laws. The article pointed out that states, such as Oregon, California and New York, have begun investigating and fining employers for violations, and that the Department of Labor has been expanding efforts to educate companies, colleges and students on the law regarding internships and going after firms that fail to pay interns properly.

According to the article, internships must comply with the six federal legal criteria to be unpaid. Among those criteria are that the internship should be similar to the training given in a vocational school or academic institution, that the intern does not displace regular paid workers, and that the employer “derives no immediate advantage” from the intern’s activities. The article noted, however, that many employers say the DOL's six criteria need updating because they are based on a Supreme Court decision from 1947, when many apprenticeships were for blue-collar production work. Camille explained, “One criterion that is hard to meet and needs updating is that the intern not perform any work to the immediate advantage of the employer. In my experience, many employers agreed to hire interns because there is very strong mutual advantage to both the worker and the employer. There should be a mutual benefit test.”