Have you guys checked with BOLI regarding your internship practices? How about paying your interns Oregon's minimum wage at least? It's not like interning at the Mercury is going to lay the foundation for some super high paying career in the future.

Robert Collins jumps on the "I don't understand how the world works" bandwagon! Congratulations!

I'm not going for this or anything, but I do have a question: How long does it last?

About three months. But we're flexible.

I'm just tired of employers taking advantage of this economy to exploit people. Especially an employer with the progressive Bona Fides of the Mercury.

If they're worth publishing, they're worth 8.50 an hour.

Here are the rules for interns according to BOLI which I just pulled off their website:

CRITERIA FOR TRAINEES
When all of the following criteria apply, trainees or students are not employees within the meaning of wage and hour laws:

1) The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school;

2) The training is for the benefit of the trainees or students;

3) The trainees or students do not displace regular employees, but work under their close supervision;

4) The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees or students; and on occasion his operations may actually be impeded;

5) The trainees or students are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and

6) The employer and the trainees or students understand that the trainees or students are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

I think you are pushing the envelope on points 1 and 3 and definitely in violation on point 4.

Stop being cheap pricks. Pay the kids.

Never!

I'm sending your post to BOLI. We'll let them decide.

By all means. As far as I am concerned the music internship in question doesn't violate the rules you posted. Thanks!

Dude, they get paid in free music and concerts, and lots of people (myself included) blog about concerts for fun. If I didn't have a full-time job, *I'd* apply.

What's the immediate advantage the Merc gets, more posts they have to edit?

It's my understanding that if anything the intern writes gets published, they get paid standard freelancer fees. So they're definitely not breaking rule 3.

Fuck, I might apply just to keep some scrappy-ass, groupthinking college pussy from stinking up our favorite paper with hipster droolings...

Ha! You two faced pricks crack me up.

You've never seen a tax increase you didn't love.

You've never seen a union cause you didn't embrace.

You constantly bash Republicans for taking advantage of our prosperous society.

And you can't pay minimum wage to "interns" who work their ass off, add to your editorial content, and allow you to have fewer full time employees.

I've hired interns out from community colleges for the last 20 years. Currently we pay them ten bucks an hour (more than the minimum wage) and help them with their college credits.

The main thing that pisses me off is your hypocrisy.

You guys always advocate for the little guy.

You always rail against the rich guy.

You love the co-ops, the nightlife and the "Portland" scene. You portray that scene as being all tolerant for all points of view and diversity and tolerance.

Amd then you fuck a bunch of kids out of eight bucks an hour for three to six months because you can.

You, Portland Mercury, are hypocrisy incarnate.

Okay,here's the deal. By 4 PM tomorrow you will post on this site that you will begin paying interns Oregon's minimum wage effective immediately and that you will pay all future interns minumumage or I am going to get you shut down.

And if you think I can't, try me.

aww, snap. crazy served.

Somebody call animal services! He's holding the interns' mascot hostage!

Shut 'em down, Collins! James Lee style!

Yea, mercury, I got some breaking news:

Internet commentor makes threat

Can I get freelance payment if I write 300 words on how the story may or may not happen?

"who work their ass off"

Right... one day a week is sooo hard!

Robert Collins seems to be an idiot of the "I got mine, so screw you kids!" mold.

Unpaid internships in areas like elected office, journalism, etc., are the only ways for students to gain real experience in fields that demand ACTUAL experience, not just coursework.

If unpaid internships didn't exist, there would be no opportunities available to these students. It's not like anyone is forcing a student to take this job over a job flipping burgers, but an aspiring journalist or music writer will likely pick one over the other.

I myself spent two summers in college working invaluable unpaid internships and held part-time food service jobs to pay bills. That's right: unbelievably educational experience and working 60 or so hours a week. If I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have a job in my field right now. Guaranteed.

So go waste BOLI's time and my tax dollars to fight your ridiculous crusade against the Mercury. It's still going to happen in congressional offices, elected offices across the country, nonprofits and publications from New York to L.A.

@ Robert Collins
Apologies for not addressing this sooner, I've been away on vacation.
What I believe we have here is a difference in outlook. You and your company have enough money to pay interns minimum wage. Congratulations, it's always easier for the "haves" to look down upon and judge the "have not so muches." It's also remarkably convenient for the haves to base their entire world viewpoint on money and the acquisition of it.
No, the Mercury does not have enough money to pay interns minimum wage. Like most alternative weeklies in the nation, we barely scrape by and if we're successful? We make just enough to pay our employees a living wage. Sucks, but there it is.
But luckily there are many, many things more important than making minimum wage. When I started at the Stranger waaaaay back in 1991, I didn't make shit for money. I didn't have any experience, but I knew I loved newspapering. So I wrote and wrote (for free) and I worked and worked (for free). Would my bosses have paid me if they could? You bet your gold-plated ass. But for me at least, a plump paycheck was the smallest reward. I wanted to learn. I wanted to be with these people. I wanted to write. And I wanted to feel like I was contributing to something bigger than me—something that entertained and informed our readers. Something that made their lives better. For me, that was a goldmine.
I don't know if most of our interns share my passion. Some do. Some want to find out if they do. But it's not up to you or BOLI to decide how these people choose to spend their time. We're WAY up front with what we expect from our interns, and what they can expect to receive. There's no wool being pulled over anyone's eyes. In fact, I would put our intern program—financially feeble though it may be—against any intern program anywhere. We treat our interns with immense respect, and do our damndest to give them what they REALLY need—good solid experience, true responsibility, a real taste of the business, and a lot of laughs to boot.
I invite any intern that's ever worked with me to chime in if they've had a shitty experience interning for the Mercury. I sincerely doubt any feel "cheated" by their time here.
I also invite you, Robert, to do whatever you think is necessary to "shut us down." I welcome any and all investigations into our intern program—because I'm damned proud of it. I also wish I had a thousand bucks every time someone made a similar threat—maybe then I'd have enough money to pay these troopers what they're worth.