Another Ex-Intern Joins a Class Action Suit For Back Wages Against Clear Channel Radio [POLL]

My radio career started out as an unpaid intern for a morning radio show in Buffalo NY. While I studied broadcasting at SUCB, I also did a college radio show which lead to my employment. I expected to be paid then. I only anticipated college credit for interning. That's not the case for this unpaid ex-intern.

The Clear Channel radio group may no be the only organization to be hit with a class action law suit for allegedly wrongfully withholding wages from interns at their companies. Another law suit was recently filed by a group of attorneys with Liane Arias, named as another plaintiff in several suits against companies which offer unpaid internships.

All of this started when a New York court ruled that interns are covered by New York labor laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act which basically says, you're entitled to be paid when you work for someone.

All Access tells us that:

ARIAS was an unpaid intern in AUGUST-DECEMBER 2011 in CLEAR CHANNEL's promotions and marketing department, with her duties described as "searching out current events and assembling reports; creating newspaper articles; going to promotional events and "giveaways" to promote Defendants' radio stations," and other necessary tasks. Interestingly, in one paragraph, the plaintiff is incorrectly referred to as "TIERNEY"; MELISSA TIERNEY was a SIRIUSXM intern who filed a class action suit against the satellite operator in APRIL.

As a radio professional, my advice to radio groups is to only bring interns on board who have a strong potential for employment after their time. Perhaps they should offer these interns a brief employment stint for all of their hard work...and compensate them.

Question: Should interns be paid? Please take the poll and, thanks.

[All Access]