Timbers-Intern?

[Unregistered]

Of course they do

Hahaha. Now that's funny. I am sure the Timbers have nothing better to do than monitor a chat room that has 5-6 guys regularly reading/posting. In fact, I bet the entire Timbers management team is huddled around a computer monitor right now in their situation room deep in the heart of Timbers HQ, guzzling coffee and hanging on every post here. Teams of lawyers and PR people pace outside the room to spring into action the minute they are summoned. I'm sure they probably spent 10-12 hours a day reading the highly informative posts here.

The Timbers monitoring crew of this forum is staffed by 'unpaid' interns. :)

[Unregistered]

The Timbers monitoring crew of this forum is staffed by 'unpaid' interns. :)

The Timbers should do a much better job of supervising the posts of the unpaid interns :-)!

[Unregistered]

So you were there and saw the actual events? Did you testify at the admin hearings? Or did you glean your facts from a one page internet article? It's funny you insult people when you have NO idea what really happened.

As a matter of fact, yes I have been a part of this situation from the beginning. And I know more about it than the article reported. She got treated like crap. Furthermore she has enough quality references to get a job in the future.

[Unregistered]

As a matter of fact, yes I have been a part of this situation from the beginning. And I know more about it than the article reported. She got treated like crap. Furthermore she has enough quality references to get a job in the future.

Yawn.

[Unregistered]

As a matter of fact, yes I have been a part of this situation from the beginning. And I know more about it than the article reported. She got treated like crap. Furthermore she has enough quality references to get a job in the future.

Super! Thanks for your super descriptive explanation of what happened. This is incredibly helpful. These anonymous chat rooms are great.

[Unregistered]

The article itself has plenty of information to form a reasoned opinion. It's not like the Timbers are out there disputing the facts and they had an opportunity to present their side to BOLI. There's no doubt that BOLI favors employees, but that story read like a pretty clear case. The Timbers aren't the only business out there taking advantage of interns for cost savings. They are, however, a very public one with a brand to protect. This should be a lesson for them.

The comments that wage and hour laws should be disrespected or ignored are disappointing. I suspect that those who write such comments feel quite differently about laws that benefit them: but that would surprise exactly nobody.

[Unregistered]

The article itself has plenty of information to form a reasoned opinion. It's not like the Timbers are out there disputing the facts and they had an opportunity to present their side to BOLI. There's no doubt that BOLI favors employees, but that story read like a pretty clear case. The Timbers aren't the only business out there taking advantage of interns for cost savings. They are, however, a very public one with a brand to protect. This should be a lesson for them.

The comments that wage and hour laws should be disrespected or ignored are disappointing. I suspect that those who write such comments feel quite differently about laws that benefit them: but that would surprise exactly nobody.

I believe you are referencing my comments. I don't say that the laws shouldn't be adhered to or ignored. I do believe the laws are poorly thought out and the administrative function that backs it up is extremely unfair. The laws should be balanced and fair to both parties. BOLI should represent both parties in an investigation and should be impartial in their findings. That is not my experience in 25 years of business. It sounds like you are a employment law attorney so you probably see things from a particular perspective, and I respect that. We all have our personal biases based on where we sit.

[Unregistered]

I believe you are referencing my comments. I don't say that the laws shouldn't be adhered to or ignored. I do believe the laws are poorly thought out and the administrative function that backs it up is extremely unfair. The laws should be balanced and fair to both parties. BOLI should represent both parties in an investigation and should be impartial in their findings. That is not my experience in 25 years of business. It sounds like you are a employment law attorney so you probably see things from a particular perspective, and I respect that. We all have our personal biases based on where we sit.

You're certainly not alone in your dislike of BOLI. I'm not an employment lawyer but am a business owner (i.e., not an employee). Wage and hour rules are pretty straightforward. Whether employers like them or not isn't really one of the choices.

The exploitation of interns is something that's been getting worse for a long time. With unemployment currently so high among young people they are vulnerable to being exploited. It's easy for businesses to rationalize that the "experience" or "reference" will help them get a job and that should be enough. A stipend or paycheck helps too. It's also not good for existing employees when a business starts using interns because it puts downward pressure on wages when employers get "interns" to work for free.

The real question is whether an employer is bringing in interns to give them opportunity and teach them something for their benefit (perhaps the employer's benefit too if you find a good one you end up hiring), or is the employer simply trying to get work for free that it really should be paying someone to do? The former requires a fair amount of effort on the employer side and often ends up being a money loser. The latter is simply cutting costs. If an employer believes the internship program is a "good deal" or the accountant really likes it, it's probably the latter.

[Unregistered]

Ok, BOLI gave her a judgment. So some panel of bureaucrats thinks that the law allows her to get paid.

However, I do think this is baloney. The position was advertised as "unpaid". She applied and worked the job. Then she decides she wants to get paid because the job changed a bit. They don't want to pay her. Leave then.

I worked an unpaid internship for a year. Lived at my parents house. We put in 80 hour weeks and all we got at the time was a company credit card for meals and booze. Got incredible experience. Made connections that have benefited be handsomely for the past 25 years. Putting the internship on my resume got me a great position with good firm. Massive benefits.

There were 300 people that wanted my job that would have done it for free.

There is the law and there is the spirit of the unpaid internship.

Just my opinion. By taking the labor action she just got $2k, great! But lots of publicity and an employer that will not be friendly when asked about said employee ("talk to the legal dept").

The Timbers probably feel the same way you do in that there are hundreds of people who would be willing to do this job for free. I think the girl should have quit earlier rather than work the extra 200 hours and expect payment later.

With that said the Timbers are all about making money for Paulson and have no issues with taking advantage of their status in the community. The right thing to do is to pay their interns. Can't believe people still think the Timbers are trying to run youth soccer for the benefit of the kids.

[Unregistered]

The Timbers probably feel the same way you do in that there are hundreds of people who would be willing to do this job for free. I think the girl should have quit earlier rather than work the extra 200 hours and expect payment later.

With that said the Timbers are all about making money for Paulson and have no issues with taking advantage of their status in the community. The right thing to do is to pay their interns. Can't believe people still think the Timbers are trying to run youth soccer for the benefit of the kids.

You can also look at it this way. If she was in a job that needed doing, quitting would have been irresponsible. That certainly would not have improved her chances for a good reference: "she didn't get her way so she quit right in the middle of camp and left us shorthanded." Or simply, "she quit." I think I'd rather have someone who stands up for what she thinks is right than just up and quits. That's what seems to be missing here. The issue of who was right and who was wrong was decided. She won.

[Unregistered]

You can also look at it this way. If she was in a job that needed doing, quitting would have been irresponsible. That certainly would not have improved her chances for a good reference: "she didn't get her way so she quit right in the middle of camp and left us shorthanded." Or simply, "she quit." I think I'd rather have someone who stands up for what she thinks is right than just up and quits. That's what seems to be missing here. The issue of who was right and who was wrong was decided. She won.

Very well put. Some organizations that have the most to offer those willing to intern for free are also ones that can easily black ball those who stand up for their so called rights. The Timbers tentacles are far reaching in our small state so walking out could be a very bad idea for a youngster new to the working world of sports organizations! I think that employment law can be overly complicated at times but left unchecked we could all be harmed by the 800 lb gorillas in the room.

[Unregistered]

Why don't you actually READ the article and stop attacking this kid. She was FIRED when she complained to the Timbers.

[Unregistered]

Why don't you actually READ the article and stop attacking this kid. She was FIRED when she complained to the Timbers.

Why are you yelling? She seems to have a fair amount of support if you read the thread.

[Unregistered]

Why don't you actually READ the article and stop attacking this kid. She was FIRED when she complained to the Timbers.

I couldn't really care less about all this fuss, but I would say that I don't think anyone here, unless they were there, knows all the facts. Who knows why she was asked to not come back.

I'd recommend caution before jumping to conclusions about situations like this. I have been around similar situations and the documentation later does not always reflect the facts. The prevailing party might have stated details that now get considered facts, but that doesn't mean there aren't more sides to the story.

[Unregistered]

This matters because the Timbers are run by rotten people. We may love the team, but it's hard to even like the Timber's management. It is even worse now that they are taking over youth soccer. This is the kind of sh!t we can expect from the Timbers.