Unpaid Internships Investigated: 'Mostly Drudgery' Means Employers Must Usually Pay, Say Regulators

Unpaid Internships Investigated: 'Mostly Drudgery' Means Employers Must Usually Pay, Say Regulators

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.

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