When Michelle Kamigaki-Baron was an undergraduate student in California, she felt pressured into working as an unpaid intern to gain experience that could help her compete for jobs in the medical field.

But it came at a price.

Her mother, who lives in Hawaii, struggled financially and needed her support, so the 22-year-old had to quit her unpaid internship to work at the mall. She said she felt left behind as her friends, who came from financially stable backgrounds, took on unpaid internships.

“It’s so difficult because no matter what there is no balance when you come from a working-class family, and you’re trying to make it into competitive fields,” Kamigaki-Baron said.

Valuable Experience

For many young professionals, internships are a gateway to get experience in their chosen career field. But some Hawaii students have raised concerns that working for free is unethical and benefits those with more financial backing.

At the federal level, it’s not illegal to offer unpaid internships, but the Department of Labor updated its guidelines in 2018 to include several criteria that employers should offer in lieu of money to ensure the intern is the “primary beneficiary” and not just providing free labor.

State Sen. Karl Rhoads, who chairs the state Senate Judiciary Committee, wants to tighten the rules in Hawaii with a proposed measure that would create clear guidelines for unpaid internships under the state wage and hour law.

It would add a section to the Hawaii Revised...

Read Full Story: https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/02/hawaii-lawmakers-seek-to-rein-in-unpaid-int...