With summer fast approaching, spotlights will again focus on issues relating to interns. Employers must ensure that they comply with the continuing developments in the law relating to interns, including new protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Employers must also ensure that they comply with the not-so-new, but often disregarded, factors to determine whether interns must be paid for their services.
As for the new protections, in response to an October 2013 decision of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denying anti-harassment and anti-discrimination protections to an unpaid intern, the New York City Council passed, and Mayor Bill De Blasio signed, a bill to amend the New York City Human Rights Law (city HRL). The new law, which extends the city HRL’s protections against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation to interns working in New York City, will take effect on June 14, 2014.
