By Steven Greenhouse
New York Times, December 20
Charlie Rose and his production company have agreed to pay as much as $250,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by a former unpaid intern who claimed minimum-wage violations.
Under the settlement, which was announced on Thursday, Mr. Rose and his production company, Charlie Rose Inc., will pay back wages to a potential class of 189 interns.
Workplace experts say hundreds of thousands of young Americans work as unpaid interns each year as they seek to gain experience in desired industries. But some interns and labor advocates assert that many employers are violating federal and state laws by using unpaid interns essentially to do the jobs of other workers and by not providing a true educational experience.
