Was this Internship/Work Study legal?

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I know yall aint lawyers but i dont have access to lawyers.I did a internship or work study program that for through a private school to give disabled people like me work skills. i was a part-time bagger sacking groceries for a local grocery store and i put up shopping carts.i was forced to work for free.They did not even give me a penny.I know goodwill in other states pays less than min wage but it wasnt good will.

It was a for-profit company.I did not want to work for free but I had no choice because the school made me.I looked up internship law.one aspect of the law is that the intern is not supposed to replace a paid employee or do the work of a paid employee.However if i would worked for the company as a worker I would of made at least 7.25 per hour but instead i got nothing for working there for months.I eventually walked off the job because I decided i was not going to work for free no more.It was a really bad experience not even being paid a penny for working for months to make some people even richer.I would of been happy with being paid min wage because i was just a college kid.

If they had you working there for nothing for months, that sounds to me like it should be illegal. An unpaid internship as a bagger might make sense for maybe a few days' worth of unpaid work, just enough to get you fully up to speed, but certainly not for months of unpaid work.

I'm not a lawyer, but hopefully there's some state agency you can complain to, and hopefully you have some paperwork that you needed worked there for no pay.

I came in one afternoon a week for months and worked for free.My parents wont let me complain to the state agency.I was so mad when they made me work for free.

Why not?

They are afraid of gov retaliation.And are not really the types to take formal action against people or organizations.Its prolly past the statutue of limitations anyways.

I don’t know where you live, but if you are a citizen of the USA (born here or naturalized), you have the right to file a complaint with the government without recrimination.

I’d talk to an attorney versed in Labor Law for his/her opinion, then proceed based on that advice.

Okay thanks.I live in Texas.I know I am entitled to a complaint since I am a citizen but my parents wont allow me.My parents wont let me sue for the labor law violation if it was illegal.

If you want you could post a review Glassdoor, Yelp

Just because there is a law against the company retaliating against you, doesn't mean they won't retaliate against you

(I am not a lawyer, but I would imagine) that you could email the authorities about your situation, without your parents knowing

According to your profile, you 31

You old enough to file a civil lawsuit

Sometimes civil lawsuits take a couple of years

Lawyers sometimes charge 600 bucks an hour

Even if your statement is morally and legally correct, outcome not guaranteed


However sometimes if the company loses a lawsuit over the Fair Labor Standards Act, the petitioner gets a lot of money



Every situation different


Only you should decide what to do




There is something wrong with everything

The work-study could have been legal if you were getting school credit for doing that job. I suppose it could also be a requirement of whatever program you were in. There are situations when you can legally work for school credit only and not get paid.

Why do you let your parents have so much control over your life? You can file a complaint or make phone calls on your own behalf without needing parental permission or involvement.

I would begin with a call to Disability Rights organization in Texas. They can open up a case for you if it meets their requirements, ie, is actually illegal.

If you got this job through Vocational Rehabilitation, there should be an ombudsman at the state level who could help you.

The labor laws have a lot of power behind them. Check with the labor law office in your state.

All these things can be found with a google search.

But you are 31...they cannot stop you from doing that.

That is true but I live in their house under their roof.