SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"Very few members of Congress actually pay their interns," said Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "We will be one of them." (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty)
'Time to Walk the Walk': Ocasio-Cortez Announces 'At Least' $15 Wage for Interns
The culture of the unpaid DC internship, says one expert on the issue, is part of "a very nasty system that keeps rich people in control"
Dec 04, 2018
While the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said its recent posting for unpaid internships was "made in error" and announced paid positions will be announced in January, fellow New York lawmaker in the House, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, declared Tuesday night that it's time for Democrats to "walk the walk" on paying Capitol Hill interns a living wage and said that her office will pay $15 per hour "at least" for those who come to work for her.
\u201cTime to walk the walk.\n\nVery few members of Congress actually pay their interns. We will be one of them.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1543980503
As the Washington Post reported:
A study last year by Pay Our Interns found that 51 percent of Republican senators offer paid internships, compared with 31 percent of Democrats.
House interns fare worse: Only 8 percent of those who work for Republicans and 3.6 percent who work for Democrats get paid.
"It's a very nasty system that keeps rich people in control," Carlos Vera, founder of Pay Our Interns, told Rolling Stone. A former congressional intern himself, Vera explained how the system of unpaid jobs in the Capitol has everything to do with keeping working-class students and people from low-income families out of the halls of power. As a Latino, Vera said, "I saw an extreme lack of diversity, both in interns and staff in Congress."
On Monday, in a separate tweet, Ocasio-Cortez explained how she'd been at a late-night eatery in DC where she talked with several of the restaurant staff who also work on Capitol Hill.
"This is a disgrace. Congress of ALL places should raise [Members' Representational Allowances] so we can pay staff an actual DC living wage," she wrote. "It is unjust for Congress to budget a living wage for ourselves, yet rely on unpaid interns & underpaid overworked staff just bc Republicans want to make a statement about 'fiscal responsibility.'"
\u201cIt is unjust for Congress to budget a living wage for ourselves, yet rely on unpaid interns & underpaid overworked staff just bc Republicans want to make a statement about \u201cfiscal responsibility.\u201d\n\nIf that\u2019s the case, they can cut down on staff to pay them well. Or raise the MRA.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1543860001
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
While the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said its recent posting for unpaid internships was "made in error" and announced paid positions will be announced in January, fellow New York lawmaker in the House, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, declared Tuesday night that it's time for Democrats to "walk the walk" on paying Capitol Hill interns a living wage and said that her office will pay $15 per hour "at least" for those who come to work for her.
\u201cTime to walk the walk.\n\nVery few members of Congress actually pay their interns. We will be one of them.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1543980503
As the Washington Post reported:
A study last year by Pay Our Interns found that 51 percent of Republican senators offer paid internships, compared with 31 percent of Democrats.
House interns fare worse: Only 8 percent of those who work for Republicans and 3.6 percent who work for Democrats get paid.
"It's a very nasty system that keeps rich people in control," Carlos Vera, founder of Pay Our Interns, told Rolling Stone. A former congressional intern himself, Vera explained how the system of unpaid jobs in the Capitol has everything to do with keeping working-class students and people from low-income families out of the halls of power. As a Latino, Vera said, "I saw an extreme lack of diversity, both in interns and staff in Congress."
On Monday, in a separate tweet, Ocasio-Cortez explained how she'd been at a late-night eatery in DC where she talked with several of the restaurant staff who also work on Capitol Hill.
"This is a disgrace. Congress of ALL places should raise [Members' Representational Allowances] so we can pay staff an actual DC living wage," she wrote. "It is unjust for Congress to budget a living wage for ourselves, yet rely on unpaid interns & underpaid overworked staff just bc Republicans want to make a statement about 'fiscal responsibility.'"
\u201cIt is unjust for Congress to budget a living wage for ourselves, yet rely on unpaid interns & underpaid overworked staff just bc Republicans want to make a statement about \u201cfiscal responsibility.\u201d\n\nIf that\u2019s the case, they can cut down on staff to pay them well. Or raise the MRA.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1543860001
While the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said its recent posting for unpaid internships was "made in error" and announced paid positions will be announced in January, fellow New York lawmaker in the House, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, declared Tuesday night that it's time for Democrats to "walk the walk" on paying Capitol Hill interns a living wage and said that her office will pay $15 per hour "at least" for those who come to work for her.
\u201cTime to walk the walk.\n\nVery few members of Congress actually pay their interns. We will be one of them.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1543980503
As the Washington Post reported:
A study last year by Pay Our Interns found that 51 percent of Republican senators offer paid internships, compared with 31 percent of Democrats.
House interns fare worse: Only 8 percent of those who work for Republicans and 3.6 percent who work for Democrats get paid.
"It's a very nasty system that keeps rich people in control," Carlos Vera, founder of Pay Our Interns, told Rolling Stone. A former congressional intern himself, Vera explained how the system of unpaid jobs in the Capitol has everything to do with keeping working-class students and people from low-income families out of the halls of power. As a Latino, Vera said, "I saw an extreme lack of diversity, both in interns and staff in Congress."
On Monday, in a separate tweet, Ocasio-Cortez explained how she'd been at a late-night eatery in DC where she talked with several of the restaurant staff who also work on Capitol Hill.
"This is a disgrace. Congress of ALL places should raise [Members' Representational Allowances] so we can pay staff an actual DC living wage," she wrote. "It is unjust for Congress to budget a living wage for ourselves, yet rely on unpaid interns & underpaid overworked staff just bc Republicans want to make a statement about 'fiscal responsibility.'"
\u201cIt is unjust for Congress to budget a living wage for ourselves, yet rely on unpaid interns & underpaid overworked staff just bc Republicans want to make a statement about \u201cfiscal responsibility.\u201d\n\nIf that\u2019s the case, they can cut down on staff to pay them well. Or raise the MRA.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1543860001
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.