Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC's Unpaid Interns Couldn't Sue For Sexual Harassment Or Discrimination Until Now
By
John Surico
Published Mar 27, 2014
Modified Mar 27, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Shutterstock
By
John Surico
Published Mar 27, 2014
Modified Mar 27, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The City Council passed a bill yesterday amending New York City's Human Rights Law to extend sexual harassment and discrimination rights to unpaid interns. The move now allows unpaid interns to sue their employers should they choose. It also makes the Big Apple one of the first American cities to have such rights for their interns. Reminder: it's 2014.
“No one should have to face discriminatory treatment, especially when they are seeking to improve their educational or career opportunities," Councilwoman Darlene Mealy said at the bill's passing.
Tell that to the judge who ruled against the idea of protecting interns back in October. Why? Try to follow this logic: Workers get paid. Interns do not. So, interns are not workers. And workers have rights in the workplace. Therefore, interns do not have rights in the workplace. Make sense?
This decision made interns an exception to the basic integrity of human beings; the bill's sponsor, Councilman James Vacca, explains: "Interpretation of the current law leaves a Swiss cheese-like hole that could jeopardize an intern's rights and recourse." And Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said, "Unpaid interns deserve protections against harassment, which is why I am proud to have co-sponsored today’s City Council bill to unsure they enjoy the full protection of the New York City Human Rights Law. In more than 30 years of public service, I have had over 1,000 interns. They have been invaluable - and we should value them in turn."
The right to sue for sexual harassment and discrimination is a historic landmark in the intern rights movement, coming just a day after the Times decided to start paying their academic interns minimum wage instead of $3.85 an hour. The march towards full personhood in the workplace continues, placing interns on equal footing as pregnant women, but not corporations. Truly something we can all be proud of.
Tagged
city workers
interns
internships
sexual harassment
John Surico
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
The order comes after Chinatown residents sued the city over noise, health concerns and years of planned after-hours construction.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .