SpeechbyWilliamHumphries,FounderoftheCampaignforLawfulInternships

ThefilmingoftheBlackSwanduring20092010wasasuccessfulandtediousfeat.It
wasntbecauseFoxSearchlightPictureshasaefficientworkcultureorthedirector,Darren
Aronofskysdetailedvision.Itwasthankstotheemployeesthatworkedcountlessovertime
hours.Unfortunately,theseemployeesfailedtoreceivetheaccoladesandcompensationthey
deserved.Theseemployeeswereactuallyexploitedandoverworkedinternsthatundertookthe
bulkoftheproductionworkandwereforcedtocompletemenialtasks.Thesetasksincluded
copyingdocuments,maintainingtakeoutmenus,collectinglunchordersandpickingthemup,
assemblingfurniture,andprovidingnonallergenicpillowsforthedirector.

Thetwovictimsoftheegregiousviolationofminimumwageandlaborlaws,EricGlatt
andAlexanderFootman,representjusttwoofthethousandsofinternsthatfallvictimto
companiesthatabuseinternshipprograms.

Inthepastsixyears,internshavefiledlawsuitsagainstmultiplecompaniessuchasICM,
NBCUniversal,CondeNast,andtheHearstCompany.Largeclassactionlawsuitsofinternshave
filedtoclaimwagesfortheiruncompensatedlonghours.Theresultofsomehasproventobe
successful.IntheresultoftheCondeNastsettlement,thepublishingcompanyagreedtosettle
for$5.9million,allowingallthatfiledtoreceiveanywherefrom$700$1,900.

Butwhyshouldittakeafewinternsconveningandfilingalawsuit?Whydocompanies
thinkitsacceptabletoexploitthoseseekingcareerexperience?ItisclearlyoutlinedintheU.S.
DepartmentofLaborslaws,thatanunpaidinternshipmustisonlylawfulinthecontextofan
educationaltrainingprogram,whentheinternsdonotperformproductiveworkandtheemployer
derivesnobenefit.

Unpaidinternshipsatforprofitcompaniesaresubjecttofairlystrictregulationfromthe
DepartmentofLabor.Generally,toqualifyasalegalunpaidinternship,theprogrammustpassa
sixfactortestthatensurestheprogrambenefitsthestudentmorethantheemployer,is
educationalinnatureanddoesn'treplacepaidpositionswithunpaidlabor.Italsostipulatesthe
internmustbeawarethattheyarenotentitledtowagesduringtheinternshipnoraretheyentitled
toajoboncetheinternshipisover.

Withthatbeingsaid,howdoesastudentcompleteover40hrsoftrivialtaskscountasan
educationalexperience?Internsshouldnotreceivecollegecreditforfetchinglunchorders.The
purposeofinternshipsistoacquireandenhanceskillsthatpertaintoastudentsrespectivecareer
field.

Thoughtherehasbeenplentyofpressaboutwhetherunpaidinternshipsarelegalorfair,
thesesortsofarrangementsareverymuchalive,especiallyintherealmofstartups,themedia,
andtheentertainmentandfashionindustries,andtheyarewidespreadamongnonprofits,
politicalcampaignsandgovernmentoffices.

Mostrecently,democraticpresidentialcandidate,HillaryClinton,hasreceivedsignificant
backlashforthelargeamountofunpaidinternsshehiredforhercampaignstaff.Clinton
attemptedtorenamethepositionsofinternsasfellowships.

Fellowshipsaretypicallyshorttermopportunitieslastingfromfewmonthstoseveral
years.Theyfocusonaspecificprofessionaldevelopmentprogramorsectorwithinacompanyor
organization.Unlikeinternships,fellowshipsarepaidwiththecompensationcomingina
stipend.
Whilethistypeofprogrammaysoundnicefortheaverageundergraduateorgraduate
student,itisnotacceptablethatcompaniesarenowreplacingtheirentrylevelpositionswith
theseformalizedinternships.

Employersfailuretocompensateinternsfortheirwork,andtheprevalenceofthe
practicenationwide,curtailsopportunitiesforemployment,fostersclassdivisionsbetweenthose
whocanaffordtoworkfornowageandthosewhocannot,andindirectlycontributestorising
unemployment.

Thesedevelopmentsmaybemakingitmoredifficultforsomeyoungadultstogaina
footholdinthelabormarket,economistssay.Theunemploymentrateforpeople20to
24yearsoldisfallingastheeconomyrecovers,butremainedatahistoricallyhigh11.3%inJuly
of2014.

IsnttheAmericanDreamtheideathatobtaininganeducationmeansbeingable
employable?Studentsarenowleavingcollegeinthousandsofdollarsinloandebt,andgoing
intoajobmarketthatisntwelcomingthem!Ithasanegativeeffectonoureconomywhenthese
studentsareunabletorepaytheirloansandgointodefault.
Defaultingonloansdonatedonbehalfofthefederalgovernmentandprivateinvestors.Oncethat
damageisdonetotheircredit,thereisnowaytoreboundfromthatfinanciallyorthemental
strife.

Experienceistheculminatingfactorformostwhenconsideringacandidatefora
position.Internshipsaretheonlywayforcompaniestoproperlymakethisdecisionanddecideif
theyarewillingtomakethemfulltimeproductivemembersofsociety.

JamesHardley,formerinternatFoxSearchlight

Inthesummerof2010JameswasanunpaidinternatFoxSearchlight,whereheworked
ontheproductionofBlackSwan.Atthetime,JameswasarisingseniorpursuingaB.A.inMass
CommunicationattheUniversityofMassachusettsAmherst.Jameswasapartofthegroupof
FoxSearchlightformerinternswhobroughtchargesagainstthecompanyfornotpaying
minimumwage.Sincethen,Jameshasbecomeamajoradvocateforcompanieseliminating
unpaidinternshipsandforstudentstounderstandtheimportanceofenforcinglaborlaws.James
iscurrentlyworkingasaproducerforCNNanduseshissparetimetovisitcollegesand
universitiestoinformstudentsabouttheirlaborrights.

WilliamHumphries,MBA,APR
FounderCampaignforLawfulInternships

WilliamHumphriesisthefounderoftheCampaignforLawfulInternships,whichis
basedinWashington,D.C.WilliamattendedhisundergraduatestudiesatHowardUniversity
wherehedoublemajoredinPublicRelationsandPoliticalScience.Duringhisundergraduate
studiesWilliaminternedonCapitolHillandfoundhisfirstlove,publicpolicy,particularly
regardingwhatrightsheandhisfellowinternshad.PostgraduationWilliamacceptedthe
positionofAccountExecutive,PublicAffairsatEdelmanD.C.wherehegainedanAccreditation
inPublicRelationsbythePublicRelationsSocietyofAmerica.Williamheldthispositionfor
sevenyearsuntilenrollingintheWhartonSchoolattheUniversityofPennsylvaniawherehe
receivedhisMastersofBusinessAdministrationfocusinginNonProfit.ThroughouthisMBA
studiesWilliamwasaGraduateAssistantandrealizedhowtheundergraduatestudentswerenot
beingproperlycompensatedfortheirvariousinternshipprograms.Ataconferencein
Massachusetts,WilliammetJamesHardleywherehediscussedhowhebroughtchargesagainst
FoxSearchlight.Thetwobeganadvocatingandnowarebothintegralcomponentsofthe
CampaignforLawfulInternships,whereheknowworksfulltime.Williamcurrentlyresidesin
Alexandria,VirginiawithhiswifeTanya.