The Double Standard on Low-Wage Work: New at Reason

Democrats call low wage work immoral. Except when the low wage is nothing and they’re the employer.

A. Barton Hinkle writes:

emocrats don’t have to wait for Republican assent to strike a blow on behalf of the working stiff. They could start right now—by encouraging their colleagues to stop exploiting cheap labor in their very own offices.

That cheap labor is provided by interns, usually of college age. Most of those interns do not work for the minimum wage. In fact, they don’t work for any wage at all. They are unpaid.

As The New York Times recently reported, congressional offices “hire thousands of interns each year” but “pay very few of them.” What’s more, “the White House does not pay a single intern out of almost 100.” Still more unpaid interns “come to work for local nonprofits.” The interns either work second jobs to pay their bills or come from rich families that can support them.

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