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Sanders Not Paying Interns a 'Living Wage'

Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders / AP
June 21, 2016

Bernie Sanders encouraged millennials to apply for a Senate internship with his office this fall, offering a $12 per hour stipend, an amount that falls below his demands for a $15 minimum wage.

Roll Call reported Tuesday that Twitter users were quick to criticize the Vermont senator for paying interns below what he called a "living wage."

Sanders has repeatedly condemned Hillary Clinton for favoring a $12-an-hour federal minimum minimum wage, claiming at an April Democratic presidential debate that the rate is "not good enough."

He said the rate must be raised to $15 per hour to provide workers with a "living wage," despite paying his interns and campaign staff less.

Still, Sanders is the only presidential candidate among the initial sixteen contenders who pays interns.

Clinton relies on free labor for her campaign internships, though she established a paid fellowship last year after The Guardian reported she had brought on experienced organizers as unpaid interns.