Big labor continues to talk out of both sides of its mouth. On the one hand, they are cheering on new federal laws designed to eliminate the concept of internships within corporate America. At the same time, they are aggressively advertising to fill un-paid internships to aid in their organizing. To quote from the ad, “Our ground-up model of organizing and our comprehensive corporate campaigns are largely worker and volunteer run.” In this current economic crisis, it is more important than ever for committed local activists to get involved in the fight for workers’ rights. We have interviewed many former union staff and organizers, and know how well they are paid – often receiving compensation packages multiple-times larger than those of the employees they are attempting to organize. Guess they can continue to afford these extravagant packages when they can get people to work for free!
