Interns are tired of working for nothing

Unpaid employees suing to earn at least minimum wage

Make no mistake, the interns are fighting back.

Last month, a federal judge in New York ruled that unpaid interns on the movie “Black Swan” should have received at least the minimum wage. The judge also allowed a class-action lawsuit to go forward against the Fox Entertainment Group, the parent company of the film’s

“I think enough people have finally seen what a trap this has become.”

ERIC GLATT, ONE OF THE INTERNS IN THE “BLACK SWAN” CASE

production division.

Gutsy and improbable when it was filed two years ago, the “Black Swan” case was a pioneering direct challenge to the internship system. Now more than 15 other lawsuits have followed in its wake, according to an online database maintained by ProPublica, an investigative journalism website.

The companies being sued operate in a wide range of intern-- heavy industries. Global brands, famous television and fashion personalities, multinational subsidiaries flush with profits are some of the employers that have refused to pay young workers at least $7.25 an hour. How have they done this for so long?

The federal law is clear: If internships at profit- making companies are to be unpaid, they must foster an educational environment. (The rules are different for nonprofit and governmental agencies.)

Good internships are out there— ones that pay, ones that train and ones that lead to real jobs at the end. But many others fall far short and more people are taking action.

“I think enough people have finally seen what a trap this has become,” said Eric Glatt, one of the victorious interns in the “Black Swan” case.

In addition to filing lawsuits, interns are organizing beyond the courtroom, using some of the same strategies as fast-food