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Topic: Pop Mechanics- joke salary posted AGAIN!
| Author | Message |
| Chamsah | Posted – 7/2/2007 9:35:03 PM | show profile After I posted this pathetic ad about a month ago, someone from Hearst/Pop Mechanics was quick to point out that this was an internship. They weren't "allowed" to call it a job, for whatever ridiculous political reasons. Well apparantly the ad is back up, only now they have the balls to call it a "special projects assistant" to lure recent grads into accepting the DISGUSTINGLY INSULTING pay of $7 dollars an hour for ALL of this work. I mean, really. When is this bullshit going to stop? I beg EVERYONE, not just interns and kids right out of college, to rail against this. We ALL have refuse to accept this crap and insist this magazine, and others, to raise its pay rates. If just ONE person takes this gig, it becomes acceptable to pay a little more than minimum wage for REAL editorial work. And this isn't a filing and fetching coffee job, either. One mag does it, then another, then another. Sure payscale is relative, but this job sure as hell is worth more than this. This is pathetic. "Popular Mechanics is looking for a creative, organized, detail-oriented special projects assistant to work full-time in our Manhattan office. Duties include light administrative tasks as well as research, brainstorming, writing for the web, and the opportunity to work closely with top editors. Weíre looking for someone with a genuine interest in our coverage and great attitude. Pay is $7/hour. Start date is early August, and weíd like a commitment through December. Please send resume, cover letter and clips to.... " (I deleted the contact info.) |
| noname1234 | Posted – 7/2/2007 10:36:09 PM | show profile new york state minimum wage is $7.15/hour. I wonder how pop mechanics is getting around this -- or are they? |
| Marie | Posted – 7/2/2007 11:35:44 PM | show profile Report this rag to the state labor dept.!! |
| Printingman | Posted – 7/3/2007 9:21:01 AM | show profile | email poster You really must be bored. Get a life and move on |
| mailbag | Posted – 7/3/2007 11:02:00 AM | show profile | email poster Printingman it is the principle of the claim I'm sure Chamsah is drawing attention to. ----------------------------------------------- MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE The New York State minimum wage increased to $7.15 per hour as of January 1, 2007. Any increase in the federal wage above the state rate will result in an increase in the state's minimum wage. Employers must display a Minimum Wage information poster in their establishment. --------------------------------------------- So, chamsah - send me the link or contact information and I will call them and ask -- and post the response here (and may do a story on it as well.) |
| soccerrogue | Posted – 7/3/2007 11:53:36 AM | show profile | email poster About minimum wage in NYS Chamsah -- I just want to point out a few things. First, the posting was called a "special projects assistant" last time. It hasn't changed. Furthermore, on your last post I mentioned that the 'intern' is treated as an independent contractor. Here's some info from a related article in the NYTimes: "When workers are classified as independent contractors, employers do not have to pay unemployment insurance taxes, workers? compensation premiums or the employer?s portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes ? typically 7.65 percent of wages. In addition, independent contractors do not have a right to unionize and are exempt from minimum wage and overtime protections, as well as from most discrimination and occupational safety laws. They also do not usually receive the health and pension benefits that other workers receive." To extract the important part: "Independent contractors are exempt from minimum wage protections." That's from "Investigating Mislabeling of Workers," on June 9: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/nyregion/09contractor.html?ex=1339041600&en=6596af5b23d3d949&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss So while I agree with you that it's unfair, it certainly seems to be within legal bounds in New York State. |
| nellie bly | Posted – 7/3/2007 2:12:06 PM | show profile independent contractor a lot of companies misuse independent contractor status for part time & temp to get out of paying a portion of the worker's social security taxes, unemployment taxes, workers comp, etc. In actuality if the company is setting the hours and location of work- in other words, if they say you have to work in our office from 12-6, M-F, or whatever--you're really an employee, not an i.c. If they say here's the work, and you're able to do it at home, a cafe, or wherever, and then you turn it in, you're an i.c. Over the years, I've had plenty of PT or temp jobs that did consider me an employee, took taxes out of my paycheck. I even got workers comp from one just did a bit of googling, and came with a recent NYT article about Gov Spitzer investigating this very thing: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/nyregion/09contractor.html?ex=1339041600&en=6596af5b23d3d949&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |
| nellie bly | Posted – 7/3/2007 2:15:21 PM | show profile I see that the above poster quoted the same article, but my point was that I disagree with the classification of the intern as an independent contractor! |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 7/3/2007 2:31:32 PM | show profile It seems that many media companies try to make positions classified as independent contractors, but how most of them do it, they're really doing it illegally. This is something we should all be concerned with - companies are using the contractor label to avoid having to pay benefits and taxes for these employees, thereby saving them money on already meager wages. The IRS has strict rules about who can be considered an independent contractor, and I would guess that the majority of media companies are breaking the rules with such positions. http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html |
| noname1234 | Posted – 7/3/2007 2:43:53 PM | show profile It seems Pop Mech wants to have its cake and eat it too -- calling it one thing for the purposes of recruiting, but treating it like another thing (an internship) when it comes to paying market rate. And I wonder: Why offer this particular amount -- $7 an hour -- when the company knows that's a mere 2% below minimum wage? In other words, why not just kick in a few extra cents an hour and avoid any potential legal questions (though of course there are still myriad ethical questions about a rate like that)? |
| Chamsah | Posted – 7/3/2007 11:11:13 PM | show profile Ridiculous! An independent contractor! GENIUS! Now why didn't I think of that? Wait, I know. This pay rate is still disgustingly low for real editorial work. I don't care what you call this job. Crap is still crap no matter how you dress it up. |
| Marie | Posted – 7/4/2007 12:18:50 AM | show profile And obviously, if Hearst has reposted the position, it can't fill it. Thank God. |
| newbie | Posted – 7/4/2007 3:12:33 PM | show profile Based on the info that was posted the last time--that this was really just a short-term internship--what's the big deal? I get that none of us would ever take a job for $7/hour, but seriously, why isn't anyone outraged at all the free internships available? I mean, no matter how you do the math, $7/hour beats $0/hour. So how is that not a crime, and some company that finds a loop-hole for paying their interns--calling them independent contractors instead--is totally slammed on the boards, repeatedly? |
| newbie | Posted – 7/4/2007 3:14:36 PM | show profile PS The last post was for a summer intern, this one appears to be for fall. |
| Chamsah | Posted – 7/4/2007 3:57:03 PM | show profile Newbie... You are missing the point. This is NOT an internship, which was made clear by Hearst. They are now calling it an independent contractor, so this is a JOB. I have hired independent contractors for more than THREE times the salary this job is offering. Copy editors, researchers, line editors, etc. are often brought in as independent contractors during the summer (vacation time for many staffers) special projects, standalones, large issues, etc. They are paid MUCH more for the same exact work described here. As far as paying NOTHING? I am pretty sure you have to be a student getting credit if the job doesns't pay. To say this is better than nothing is just not acceptable. |
| ferdinand | Posted – 7/4/2007 5:51:54 PM | show profile I can testify that you don't have to be a student working for credit to do free internships. |
| Chamsah | Posted – 7/5/2007 9:46:42 AM | show profile Ferdinand... That's unfortunate. You are being taken advantage of. I understand that you need internships to made contacts, get experience and eventually land jobs. But if you are not being paid or given college credit, then you are doing VOLUNTEER work and should see it as such. That's the best spin I can put on it. How many hours are you working? If it's 40 or more they are breaking the law. |
