Internally Yours: Your AIBC Intern Architect Rep to Council Blog

Letters from Interns

E-mail from Intern A: 1 December 2006
In my first office we were not paid overtime. End of story. The firm was big and treated Interns with an attitude of "If you don't like this you can leave". After two years, I did. My second, third and fourth offices all paid straight time. But according to Employment Standards, interns are "unlicensed professionals", are therefore technically "support staff" and should receive 1.5x per hour. A few firms do pay this but strictly limit the amount of "authorized" overtime. Most seem to go with the "straight time" policy. My opinion is that the AIBC should make it mandatory for all firms to comply to the Employments Standards Act. In terms of not being compensated, I was told "You are now a professional": legally, no I am not. In regards to being paid just straight time, I have been told "You should be happy to get anything": legally, I am entitled to 1.5x.

One of the problems of asking for enforcement is that the very people who need to enforce and uphold ethical business practices are those who steer the AIBC itself. Among those who paid me straight time is a former AIBC president. I would be curious to see a poll of compliance among AIBC executives. Just as we see all those green sheets cluttering our mail about members who do not comply to the self-regulated requirement for annual re-education, compliance to all mandatory standards, like the Employment Standards Act should be treated in the same manner. How can we expect others to see us as truly professional when we treat our own a cheap labour?

I hate the argument that it will cost the firm too much. The bosses used it during the lean times of the late 80's (when I first worked as a student) but now in the boom days, I don't exactly see the purse strings loosening up. Besides, that's what formalized standards are for: to govern managers so that they do not take advantage of people in positions of less power. Why should we give in to the lowest denomination of business practices? The other problem is that when interns (and technicians) are taken advantage of, it breeds an attitude of careless regard for their hours and well, their life. People tend not to value what comes cheap, office managers are no exception. As the AIBC sits by and does nothing, the cycle continues as interns become registered and become the managers. All the same arguments resurface and nothing changes.

So those are my thoughts. I guess I could go on, but any more time spent on this would require overtime. :-)

E-mail from Intern B: 4 December 2006
I was just reading the intern update, and wanted to let you know that I too am concerned that interns aren't being paid overtime. At the office where I work, overtime is paid at the same rate as regular hours. I have brought this issue up with the company, but there seems to be no attempt to abide by the Employment Standards Act. Essentially, the message they are giving is "if you don't like it, then don't work here." I have not pressed the issue because i have yet to work more than a couple hours of overtime, but I see this as a major issue facing Interns, who generally are too afraid to say anything.

In terms of what can be done, I would like to see the AIBC or the IAC try to
enfore this somehow. I know that these types of matters dont normally fall under their juristiction, but perhaps the IAC could send out a letter to all the firms in town that currently employ interns, and remind them that this is the law.

Anyways, if i think of any other ideas, I will let you know.
Thanks for all the hard work the Intern Committee is doing to support us.

posted by Lisa @ 6:29 PM