DNC pushes for $15 min. wage, yet just got sued for underpaying employees
DNC pushes for $15 min. wage, yet just got sued for underpaying employees
The Democratic National Committee is back in hot water after dozens of field workers are suing the political organization for underpaying them — despite pushing for a $15 minimum wage.
According to CBS Philly, a Pennsylvania-based attorney Justin Swidler is representing between 40 to 50 “field organizers” around the country were left out of being paid overtime during the 2016 election. Meanwhile, the DNC shelled out over a million dollars to staff members from money they had raised during the Democratic National Convention in July 2016 in Philadelphia. Interns got $500 bonuses while the executive director received a bonus of around $300,000.
“I think everyone’s reaction is the same. It’s obscene,” Swidler told
CBS Philly. “One of the arguments that the Democrats are making is that they just don’t have the money to pay overtime to their workers.”
In addition to suing the DNC, six total state party organizations are listed as defendants, including Pennsylvania. During the election, the DNC adopted the platform to push for a
$15 national minimum wage. Now, they’re struggling to pay their own workers.
“These workers were out there in a campaign that was promising $15 an hour minimum wage, and expanding the overtime rights of workers,” Swidler continued. He noted that one of the plaintiffs, Bethany Katz, put in 80-to-90 hours a week in the late stages of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
“They got paid a flat salary of $3,000 a month, which isn’t even minimum wage for some of the hours that they were working,” said Swidler. That translates to about $7.69 to $8.65 per hour without a boost in overtime compensation.
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DNC pushes for $15 min. wage, yet just got sued for underpaying employees