Internship: Paid Or Unpaid

Boston Partner Jeff Dretler offered insight to Boston.com on Internship programs.

According to Jeff, in the past few years, lawsuits were filed by unpaid interns against several high profile employers arguing that unpaid interns were really employees who should have received minimum wage and overtime pay.

In June 2013, a federal judge in New York ruled that interns who worked on Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc.’s production of the film Black Swan did not qualify as unpaid trainees, but were employees entitled to the protection of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

“The media has reported that, to avoid liability, some employers have considered eliminating their internship programs entirely or reducing the number of interns while making sure to pay them at least the minimum wage,” Jeff explained.  

The core issue is whether the intern is an employee or truly an intern. Click here to learn more.