Members of Congress Push Minimum Wage Hike but Don't Pay Their Interns

Most members of Congress who support legislation to boost the minimum wage don't pay their interns, a study shows, reports USA Today.

Of the 205 House and Senate sponsors of the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2020, only a dozen pay their interns while the rest — 94% — do not, says the Employment Policies Institute.

Not surprisingly, rules are different for lawmakers and "for profit" private sector employers when it comes to paying interns. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, "for profit" private sector internships may only be unpaid if they are educational, don't replace regular employees, provide "no immediate advantage" to the employer, and meet certain other criteria, according to the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.

A separate law, however, applies to U.S. congressional employees and exempts interns from the right to payment.

-RW