Every year, thousands of college students intern with private companies and public entities in the hope of gaining valuable job training. But in an environment where tuition prices have risen greatly (600% since 1980) and the vast majority of college students enter an incredibly depressed job market (85% returning home), unpaid internships are a pervasive and abusive labor practice. That so many talented students are returning home after college speaks volumes about the value employers actually put on internship experiences.
The Obama Administration should amend the Fair Labor Standards Act, 28 U.S.C. § 201, et seq., to prohibit the practice of unpaid internships for undergraduate and graduate students. The FLSA should be amended to require that employers pay students minimum wage.