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Hillary Criticizes Businesses For Not Paying Interns While Her Interns Work For Free

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In addition to supporting a $15 per hour minimum wage and creating a plan to “make college more affordable,” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has criticized businesses that do not pay interns, while her own campaign makes its interns work for free.

A post from Clinton’s Twitter account on Sunday advertised an internship program working for the former Secretary of State’s 2016 presidential campaign, complete with “free coffee,” “great views” and “the chance to make history.” However, one thing was missing: a salary.

While the guidelines set for interns by Clinton’s campaign line up with those set by the Clinton Foundation, they stray from the comments made by Clinton regarding the wages earned by both interns and students.

Speaking at the University of California at Los Angeles in 2013, Clinton criticized businesses for taking advantage of unpaid interns by not letting them transition into paid employees.

“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. “More businesses need to move their so-called interns to employees.” 

Carolyn Osorio, a graduate of the Pratt Institute and an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter, said that after undergoing an “elaborate screening and interview process,” she was told that in order to work full-time with Hillary for America, she would have to move to Nebraska and would be required to work for free.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Osorio said. “Unpaid work is common in campaigns, and as secretary of State, Hillary worked for the Obama administration. At the same time the administration was cracking down on unpaid internships in the private sector, it continued not paying the 300 annual interns in the White House.”

Osorio went on to say that she felt it wasn’t just about raising the minimum wage, it was about Clinton paying a wage in the first place. “Forget arguments about raising the minimum wage,” she said. “I can’t even get a wage.”

Clinton introduced her “New College Compact” on Aug. 10. The compact is a $350 billion, 10-year proposal that Clinton claims will help students with college tuition and cut interest rates on loans, and would cut tax deductions among the wealthy.

Clinton’s plan has been criticized, with the National Review noting that the $350 billion headline is “simply another iteration of the same tired progressive tax and spend ‘solution’ to every problem,” and the Washington Examiner reporting that Clinton’s plan would actually raise college tuition.

In June, Clinton spoke to a convention of low-wage workers rallying to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and encouraged them to fight back against the businesses for their right to “make that living wage.”

“All of you should not have to march in the streets to get a living wage, but thank you for marching in the streets to get that living wage,” Clinton said. “We need you out there leading the fight against those who would rip away Americans’ right to organize, to collective bargaining, to fair pay.”

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