Interns, apprentices and work study staffers could be offered a salary less than Florida’s minimum wage under House Bill 221. HB 221, filed by Representative Ryan Chamberlin and it enforces the amount of days work-based learning can last. It cannot exceed 252 days; and exempts employers from paying various workers the state minimum wage.
Employers are not allowed to intimidate employees into opting out of the state minimum wage. Coincidentally, Florida will raise its minimum wage from $14 to $15 an hour in September, while the federal minimum is $7.25.
Florida House Representative Anna Eskamani discusses her thoughts on this bill potentially widening the wealth gap.
“Right now, the United States has had one of the largest numbers of layoffs in recent times,” she said. “We should not be creating avenues for the same companies to be hiring for the same type of work with a lower wage… it’s important to stress that it’s just not constitutional.”
Eskamni expounds on the protections that are in place to prevent employers from mislabeling job titles to lower pay.
“There really isn’t [any in place],” she said. “You do have the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act, and you do have some oversight when it comes to child labor in Florida, but we don’t have a Department of Labor at the state level. Your best bet is [to get] the IRS to see that you’ve been classified incorrectly.”
Kimberly NeSmith, a third-year wildlife ecology and conservation major at the University of Florida, expresses her disapproval of HB 221.
“I think it’s really disappointing,” she said. “The way we get our careers is through competition, who has the best resume… and [this bill] will put a specific demographic at a disadvantage then other students.”
After holding multiple internships, NeSmith expresses her view on whether younger workers should have more protections in place.
“Young workers definitely need more protection,” she said. “Frankly, as young workers, we tend to be more ignorant of what the workforce looks like and what it can truly mean. Young workers may put up with more because they’re desperate for the pay.”
Laila Crawley, a third-year business administration major at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, voices her perspective on workers getting paid less in exchange for experience.
“I think that everyone deserves the amount of pay that the government has established as the minimum requirement,” she said. “Whatever experience they’re getting, it isn’t worth not being able to support themselves financially.
Now, going into a tighter job market, the possible consequences of minimum pay legislation will have a greater impact on Floridians.
