A 21-year-old former unpaid legislative intern for New York City Councilman Harvey Epstein has announced plans to sue the city, alleging wrongful termination and demanding a $32-an-hour living wage with full health benefits for interns. Mina Farahmand, who interned for Epstein from May to July, claims she was fired in retaliation for spearheading a petition campaign for paid internships. She also contends that unpaid internships, including her own, may be illegal under the Fair Labor Standards Act's primary beneficiary test.
Farahmand, a recent graduate of New York University and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, stated on social media that the city's newly approved budget, which did not allocate funds for intern pay, confirmed that council leadership believes interns should remain unpaid. She vowed to sue the City of New York for wages, asserting that all interns deserve compensation.
However, Farahmand's background has become a point of contention. She is the daughter of Mehrdad Farahmand, a general-surgery specialist at Providence, a large healthcare provider in Washington State. Her father owns property valued at nearly $1 million, including a six-bedroom home on 30 acres in Colville, Washington. Critics, including former Councilman Robert Holden, have labeled Farahmand a "silver-spoon socialist" and a "nepo-baby agitator" who signed up for an unpaid position before demanding payment.
Epstein's office has stated that Farahmand's dismissal was "performance related" and not due to her organizing efforts. As of Friday, the City Council had not been served with a lawsuit. While some New York City Council internships are paid, others are strictly for college credit. Council Speaker Julie Menin has previously said that she pays her own interns and that the decision on intern compensation rests with individual council members.