Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton rolled out a series of programs designed to reduce the youth unemployment rate, but Clinton, herself, is building out a portion of her campaign with unpaid labor.

Clinton’s campaign is establishing a network of grassroots trainees, called “Organizing Fellows,” who are being signed on full-time to work for free. Some, even those who are young professionals with experience in politics, are reportedly being told they need to work without pay for at least the summer months.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-campaign-hires-unpaid-labor-tackles-youth/story?id=31830227


CLASSIC HILLARY - WORDS NOT DEEDS - "ooh, ooh, it's so baaaad not to pay student interns, except when they're interning for MY family "charity" or MY campaign!" And CLASSIC Clinton Foundation allocation of those millions in donations - private jets & 5 star presidential suite accomodations at glittering, celebrity filled "meetings", but squat all for new graduates with student loans - although the received wisdom is that only young people of independent means and without student loan debt can afford to "volunteer" for HRC OR the Clinton Foundation.

(Headline)
Hillary Doesn't Like Unpaid Internships, but Clinton Foundation Sure Does
(Subheadline)
The charity spent $30 million on salaries last year but not one cent on interns, unlike the Ford or Gates Foundations. What gives?

Hillary Clinton may be running for president as a champion for the middle class, but the Clinton Foundation’s interns do not get paid. “Businesses have taken advantage of unpaid internships to an extent that it is blocking the opportunities for young people to move on into paid employment,” Clinton said at UCLA in 2013. “More businesses need to move their so-called interns to employees.”

That doesn’t happen at her own business, the Clinton Foundation that Bill started in 2001.
The foundation goes through about 100 interns each summer, with slightly less during the school year. Summer interns volunteer 30 to 40 hours a week, while interns who work during a college semester may work 25 hours. The most some interns receive is a $2,000 stipend for a four-month period, and that depends on financial need.

Paying them all New York’s minimum wage of $8.75, for instance, would cost a fraction of the foundation’s budget, which spent $29.9 million (PDF) on employee salaries, compensation, and benefits for about 2,000 employees worldwide in 2013.

“There is no section of the Labor Law that exempts ‘interns’ at not-for-profit organizations from the minimum wage requirements,” a New York Department of Labor handout clarifies (PDF). Unlike for-profit corporations, nonprofits in New York are allowed to employ unpaid volunteers. Unpaid volunteers can’t be required to work certain hours though (Foundation interns are), and they cannot be compensated in any way except for reimbursement for expenses (some Foundation interns get stipends).

It's a big $$$$$$$ club.

It's fucking disgusting.

parties.

In her 2008 run for president, her campaign had the highest starting salaries for those positions among top-tier Democratic candidates. In early 2007, a Clinton field organizer could start off making $2750 per month – or the equivalent of $33,000 annually. A similar job with John Edwards paid $2500 a month; Obama paid $2000. This time around she is insisiting that experienced field operatives (not starry eyed student volunteers) work for free.

This year, though, Clinton’s campaign has made a point of being cheap – and not just because it began with a road trip. Employees use personal cellphones and avoid paying for hotels when they travel. Its press team allowed a Washington Post photographer to document campaign chairman John Podesta riding a discount bus from Washington DC to New York for an article published this week.

In fact, many high ranking staffers on the campaign worked for free as “volunteers” for Clinton in the weeks before she formally launched her campaign in early April, in an attempt to wiggle around federal campaign-finance rules which ban an undeclared campaign from paying staff.

through connections and resume building -- especially if she wins, when they can either get jobs with the government or that utilize their contacts with others on Team Hillary. it's an investment.

After all, if Hillary can raise all these funds, do you think she can at least pay a pittance?

as I will for Bernie Sanders. In every state. Why are interns needed? Monica Lewinsky was an intern, was she being paid? I know her family was wealthy, but if only wealthy interns need apply, then where does that leave those who can't afford to be an intern?

Seems like a very elitist system that needs to be diversified or abolished.

And where do all those billions in donations go? Surely a two billion dollar campaign can afford to at least pay for room and board for their interns?

Before you can get a paying job. It's fucked up.

The Ford Foundation offers a paid summer internship program and its website boasts that alumni return to work part-time during the school year and that others have been offered full-time positions. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said interns receive a “competitive” monthly salary, subsidized housing and “additional benefits such as use of the foundation’s health clinic and ability to access matching charitable gifts program.”

Courts have historically used six criteria to determine the legality of unpaid internships The Clinton Foundation abides by at least two of them: a mutual understanding about the nature of the arrangement and the idea that an internship is not necessarily a precursor to a job.
What’s not clear, though, is that the foundation derives no immediate advantage from intern activities. After all, someone has to answer emails, send press releases, and collect data on foundation partners.

The Clinton Foundation did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

My larger point is that no intern should have to work for free.

I sympathize with her disappointment. I think Bernie is going to pick up a large percentage of the youth vote.

than they are a paycheck.

However, HRC has slickly carried it to unprecedented extremes by

(1) making experienced operatives work for free as if they were inexperienced interns,
(2) Demanding unpaid interns relocate to other states at their own expense, and
(3) by having experienced operatives work for free for months before she officially declared her candidacy - a slick, quasi-legal way around the election rules.

In the grand Clintonian tradition of "It depends on what the meaning of 'IT' is."


In fact, many high ranking staffers on the campaign worked for free as “volunteers” for Clinton in the weeks before she formally launched her campaign in early April, in an attempt to wiggle around federal campaign-finance rules which ban an undeclared campaign from paying staff.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/13/hillary-clinton-unpaid-summer-intern-campaign

they do this for the experience and for the resume. Imagining if Clinton does make POTUS, having that on a resume line would be awesome!!!!

But seriously, for all the whining about paid or unpaid internships, no one is forcing these students other interns to take the job.

To take internships. It's almost a requirement for a job now. Students have enormous debt. They can't afford to intern for free. Many do, but not working class kids. It puts an undue hardship on the students and their parents. I know, I'm one of them. If you have the money, pay the interns.

if you are complaning about this one drop in an ocean, perhaps you should be asking Bernie to change the "fucking" systemic problem of unpaid interns.

FWIW The reality here in these office is that we don't actually need any new emplyees, but some students WANT the work experience and the recognition of work experience in a particular environment for their resume. THEY want the experience, THEY ask for that, THEY decide how long they intern for, how many hours in a day they have to spare. THEY benefit from free OJT and job experience and networking. We've had some interns that are here shadowing 2 hours a day 2 days a week. This is no and has never been a replacement for any other employment. We try to accomodate their school and other work schedules to give them the "resume line" that may make the difference when they do graduate from school.

chance they have for steady work and an opportunity to go to college.

I am appalled, frankly--not just at the exploitation of young people, but also at the sheer stupidity of the tactic. Talk about bad optics! It is just one more unforced error that calls her judgment into question.

And if this was set up by operatives without her paying attention, that would be just as bad, because one of her greatest weaknesses is that she chooses inappropriate advisors and then clings to them even after they have proven disastrous.

but it would be nice to actually know who you are railing on about, and how they are the systemic problem. Lets be sure the argument is being fairly applied to all campaigns, all volunteers and internship across the board.

Remember no one is forcing any unpaid intern to apply. The reality here in these office is that we don't actually need any new emplyees, but some students WANT the work experience and the recognition of work experience in a particular environment for their resume. THEY want the experience, THEY ask for that, THEY decide how long they intern for, how many hours in a day they have to spare. THEY benefit from free OJT and job experience and networking.

I'm sure if it were as hypocritical as HRC's campaign, her crack researchers would have publicized it already, right? My OP link was to a disillusioned HRC supporter's experience. I certainly have heard and read nothing about other candidates ordering "volunteers" to relocate to other states at their own expense.

But while you're here, and since you care enough to ask about other campaigns, are you allowed to share your personal view of HRC's non-pay policies - even to experienced political operatives. Since a good number of the unpaid "fellows" are female, how does this tie into her "feminist" credentials and her call for equal pay for women? Would she call that equal non-pay for women?

If you really want to know, call up or email the Guardian reporter and ask! I'm not your personal investigator, and I'm limited to what is published in the press.

This is purely about criticizing Hillary -- not concern about unpaid internships.

Do your own oppo research, buddy! The only way you can think of to support your candidate is to demand others prove a negative!?!

Here's how it works, kiddo! If Hillary's the only candidate taking specific actions, she's the only one who's open to criticism in regard to those actions.

Just generally speaking, the two major complaints about unpaid internships are: First, that equal work deserves equal pay; and second, that unpaid internships exclude those of lower economic status.

Here's a very telling point of contrast between Senator Sanders and HRC. Barely 1/3 of U.S. Senators pay their interns. Senator Sanders pays his interns. At this link, you will see his Senate interns, by name and dates of internship, and amounts paid.
https://www.legistorm.com/member/460/Sen_Bernie_Sanders/195.html

By contrast:
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/04/309977-hillary-says-she-opposes-unpaid-internships-apparently-her-foundation-disagrees/

Hillary Clinton is on record as being opposed to unpaid internships, but her opposition apparently doesn’t apply to the Clinton Foundation’s interns. During a speech at UCLA in 2013, Hillary said:

In a nutshell.

And it's that social class of people which will fill up her administration.

Or are they just for rich kids to make connections?

Unpaid internships exclude those of lower economic status.

They are for experience.

I did an unpaid internship as part of my degree and it didn't kill me.

At gun point, or with some minor threats?

I don't expect you to have any response other than fixating on my use of the term "forced". Let me say this about that, and I'm borrowing Hillary's favorite phrase when she's caught using the wrong term. "My choice of words may have been inartful." But you know what's going on here. The "interns" have to sign an agreement that acknowledges they have not been promised any paid position in return for their free labor, but "nudge/nudge/wink/wink" as reported herein, they are "given to understand" that no-free-summer-work/no possibility of paid employment with the remainder of the campaign.

‘It’s wrong’(subheadline)
The use of free but experienced labor may be a little-discussed wrinkle in a frugal campaign, but when told by the Guardian that so many experienced staffers were turning down paid work to intern with Clinton for free, fair-wage advocates pointed to immediate concerns about ethics, class and political double-speak.

“If Secretary Clinton wants to show she’s serious about economic opportunity for young people, that has to start with her campaign,” said Mikey Franklin of the Fair Pay Campaign.
“It’s wrong that they are not paid because they are giving their labor and labor should be compensated,” he said.

Franklin said the entire concept of an unpaid campaign fellowship program had raised wage issues dating back to the Obama campaign. Now, however, with fellows doing work “of value to the Clinton campaign which would otherwise be done by paid staff” and with “set hours, set responsibilities and a clear chain of command,” her operation had effectively blurred the lines between the privileged and the politically hopeful.

“If you need to work for free to get your foot in the door with the Clintons, you have be from a wealthy family,” said Franklin.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/13/hillary-clinton-unpaid-summer-intern-campaign

I hear Bernie pays his interns more than minimum wage, isn't that awful?

Hillary Rodham Clinton, campaign for Democratic nomination. Sort accordingly. There are well over 100 pages of payroll records. Tonight Sanders asked for volunteers to run organizational efforts in the states. Clinton is employing people, paying them wages, for those positions in the states.

Nothing wrong with that, but if it is usually paid. that isn't so good.

A lot of times they do a lot of work and get nearly nothing out of it except a few school credits.

Actually I would say most of the interns are actually paying to be there. And the campaigns and parties also sometimes have relationships with professors who channel the unpaid interns into the campaigns to work for free.

Internship-industrial-complex

In the context of Hillary not paying interns.

Interns are not volunteers. Interns are workers.

They are not free to go home when they feel like it. They have to show up on time and accept assigned work tasks. Otherwise they can lose their internship, and possibly fail the internship, get a bad grade and lose their financial aid. An intern is a worker who doesn't get paid.

A volunteer is free to come and go as they please. These are very different roles.

in order to receive that credit.

The key word is interns. Most presidential candidates don't pay their interns at all so 12 is huge. Also I would like to point out that he is raising money without the help of super pacs. So most of his donations are from the average guy. He needs every dollar that he gets to run his campaign, so the fact that he pays them at all surprises me.

If he had more money to spend then they would probably be paid $15

https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/3ecnks/anyone_else_bothered_that_bernie_only_pays_his/

In fact I have not found any evidence Bernie pays his interns. Whatever argument for Hillary should be paying interns, so should Bernie.

When a thread about the fact Scirota himself worked for Bernie we were told in no uncertain terms that the fact is did was irrelevant in evaluating what he wrote. We had no business at all knowing that fact. Now the fact Ramos' daughter works for Hillary is corrupt as Hell. I guess the rule is if a person has a penis then hiring him and having him write stuff is A OK. But if the person doing the hiring and the person being hired doesn't have a penis then all bets are off. Nice to know what the rules are.

It seems to be bottomless now that they found out Bernie only pays his interns $12/hour and 80-90% of their health insurance.

It's the hypocrisy, George.

This ranks up there with the "Hillary Beats Up Old Man" op.