The U.S. Department of Labor has published a fact sheet to further explain and raise awareness of the six-prong test for unpaid internships:
Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act
From his conversations with the Dept. of Labor, Richard Bottner, President of Intern Bridge, states that, “The DOL is not currently on a mission of enforcement.” Most of the DOL’s enforcement of internship-related FLSA concerns is, and will be, complaint-driven. This current campaign to raise awareness of the issues surrounding unpaid internships is being targeted at for-profit organizations, and the DOL’ s position is that all for-profit internships should be paid.
This is a complex issue and the legal environment can only change if Congress were to pass internship-specific laws, such as those proposed by the Economic Policy Institute.
If you are interested in learning more about this issue, Intern Bridge is hosting a free webinar, “Paving the Way through Paid Internships,” on Tuesday, May 4, 2010. You can learn more about the webinar and register to participate at www.internbridge.com/workshops/epi.htm.