OPINION: Time to end 'slave' labor

Confronting the worst job market in decades, many college graduates who expected to land paid jobs are now forced to turn to unpaid internships to try to simply gain a line on their resumes.

In fact, the unemployment rate for college graduates 24 and under has risen to 9.4 percent this past year (the highest in U.S. history).

Even before the financial collapse of 2008, internships – both paid and unpaid – were increasing.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported that 50 percent of college grads in 2008 had held an internship, compared with 17 percent in 1992. The recession only accelerated that boom. Today, an estimated one-half of the 1.5 million internships in the U.S. are unpaid.

Proponents of unpaid internships will argue that they offer valuable “real world” work experience. In actuality, internships often involve mindless tasks such as fetching coffee or running errands.

Even so, many young adults are willing to take part in this unrewarding exploitation due to trending attitudes in the business world.

An internship has become a necessity on a job seeker’s resume. Most employers will not even consider hiring someone with little to no work experience. Although a paying job in one’s field would look just as good, it is irrational for a company to pay for services that it can get for free. Although there are paid internships out there, the applicant pool is extremely competitive. Chances of landing a paid internship are about as likely as making it through higher education with no debt.

The age of unpaid internships has essentially destroyed paying, entry-level positions. Employers can now cut their overhead costs by eradicating a $30,000 per year salaried position, and spreading its workload to two or three unpaid interns.

While the Labor Department has laws and guidelines to prevent this abuse, these stipulations are rarely enforced. Unpaid interns receive no benefits, no legal protection against harassment or discrimination and most importantly, no job security.

Businesses exploit unpaid interns, but those who can’t afford to participate in these internships suffer the most from these trends.

Many mid-low income students/graduates are already forced to work up to 40 hours a week to simply pay for their living expenses. Add in college costs and looming student debt and one is met with a grim situation.

With no help from their families or the government, these young adults are forced to support themselves completely, lacking the time and energy to work for no pay.

Many upper class families can afford to support their child while he/she gains the highly sought after internship experience. Those without that privilege are forced to enter in to an overinflated job market where they are unable to compete with resumes boasting three or more unpaid internships.

Not only do unpaid internships promote social inequality, they basically devalue a college education. While it is true that there are many work-based and professional skills one cannot obtain in the classroom, but employers should be required to provide training for those skills. Companies gladly provided paid training in the 90s, why not now?

The Department of Labor could take steps to correct this issue by enforcing the laws that are already in place. A growing number of lawsuits have emerged in the past several years, where many intern plaintiffs have successfully filed cases against their exploiters. But why should these already financially struggling individuals be forced to hire a lawyer and pay court fees to obtain compensation for their labor.

Young Americans need to stand up for their rights; just as coal miners and factories workers did in the post industrial union era. It is time to put an end to slave labor. It is time we outlawed unpaid internships.

Cameron Whitlock is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. Originally from Banks County, he lives in Athens.