Today at 2:00 PM, EPI Vice President Ross Eisenbrey will be joined by Eric Glatt, the lead plaintiff in Glatt et al v. Fox Searchlight Pictures Inc., and one of his attorneys, Rachel Bien, Outten & Golden LLP, to discuss why this ruling is a critical step forward in the fight to ensure that all workers are fairly compensated. They will also detail how unpaid internships drive down wages and negatively impact the labor market. They will also discuss the increasing role trial lawyers are playing to fight against the illegal use of unpaid internships.
“Yesterday’s ruling by Judge William H. Pauley III, federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, that Fox Searchlight violated the minimum wage law when it failed to pay its interns for their work on the movie Black Swan was a critical step forward in the fight to protect the dignity of work and rights of labor for all workers. Judge Pauley upheld and applied the Department of Labor’s six-part test for determining whether an internship is employment covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act or is, instead, training or education that can illegally go unpaid and found that the interns were in fact regular employees who should have been paid,” said EPI Vice President Ross Eisenbrey.
“I applaud Eric Glatt, the lead plaintiff, who has courageously fought against the proliferation of unpaid internships, the deregulation of wages, and the overall exploitation of young workers. I also congratulate the law firm of Outten and Golden for its determined representation of Glatt and plaintiffs in several other pending cases. I hope that this ruling gives notice to all employers that they have not just a moral duty, but a legal obligation, to pay at least the minimum wage to all workers, despite age or job experience,” he concluded.
What: Media conference call on judge’s ruling in favor of paying interns
When: Today, Wednesday, June 12 @ 2:00 PM
Who: EPI Vice President Ross Eisenbrey
Eric Glatt, the lead plaintiff in Glatt et al v. Fox Searchlight Pictures Inc.
Rachel Bien, Outten & Golden LLP
Call-in number: 1-800-351-4898
Passcode: 234099