Growth of unpaid internships may be illegal

With job openings scarce for young people, the number of unpaid internships has climbed in recent years, leading federal and state regulators to worry that more employers are illegally using such internships for free labor.

Convinced that many unpaid internships violate minimum wage laws, officials in Oregon, California and other states have begun investigations and fined employers. Last year, M. Patricia Smith, then New York’s labor commissioner, ordered investigations into several firms’ internships. Now, as the federal Labor Department’s top law enforcement official, she and the wage and hour division are stepping up enforcement nationwide.

Many regulators say that violations are widespread, but that it is unusually hard to mount a major enforcement effort because interns are often afraid to file complaints. Many fear they will become known as troublemakers in their chosen field, endangering their chances with a potential future employer.

www.msnbc.msn.com... More at link.

It's an employer's market, and the employers are taking advantage of that more and more. Now they are pursuing the hiring of young slaves with the false hope that it will help them obtain employment later.

The rich are taking advantage of young people's dreams and ambitions.

Further in the article it mentions that the interns are not even seen in many cases as employees and don't even have protections that normal employees have if they get discriminated against, hurt on the job, etc.

*sings* Swing low, Sweet chariot....

I am starting to think the economy didn't collapse- but big business MADE it collapse so they could pull crap like this.

*HONK!* you, corporate America!