Unpaid and unprotected: a volunteer on the 2020 Yang campaign sues for discrimination

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According to the lawsuit, the volunteer was denied opportunities for advancement after she spoke up about sexism in the campaign. The lawyers for Yang are trying to get the case thrown out because they argue that the volunteer doesn't have labor protections.

According to Lee's lawyer, there would be no recourse if their argument is successful. I am not sure if anyone would want to live in that world. They are describing a horrible world.

Andrew Yang's lawyers didn't reply on the record.

There are no labor rights for volunteers in the United States. Only a few states have laws that protect interns and volunteers from discrimination in the workplace. In politics, where volunteers make up the majority of the campaign workforce, the implications are that they don't have legal recourse if they are harassed.

The administrator of the account said that campaigns are reliant on volunteers. A full-time employee would not be required for many of the positions they fill. Democratic campaigns couldn't function without volunteers, so the idea that they shouldn't be protected from harassment because they're doing this out of the goodness of their heart is crazy.

Allison Groves is a regional organizing director in Iowa. She says that they blurred the line between staff and volunteers. Volunteers were expected to take on staff responsibilities.

The responsibilities of interns and volunteers were described in leaked documents. The posts are designed to show the grassroots movement for the campaign, which means that these posts are done by volunteers and interns. Content creation is not allowed by campaign paid staffers.

The regional directors were told to make personal connections with volunteers.

If a person says they can't volunteer because they have to watch their kids, ask how old they are. You should take any opening to connect. You can use those connections as a jumping off point. The process of establishing a strong personal relationship will lead to high production and rescheduling.

Lee is trying to improve working conditions for volunteers. There is a lot of organizing happening on Capitol Hill. Last week, eight US House offices filed petitions to unionize in an effort to improve working conditions. Government offices have been lagging behind other industries in terms of progress for white-collar workers. It's not clear if those changes will trickle down to political campaigns.

Lee started working in Washington as a Yang Gang Regional Organizer, coordinating dozens of volunteers. She was given an email address that she could use to do her work. According to the complaint, the campaign implied that Lee would be paid, but he never got paid.

The fatal defect in her case is not cured by Lee's argument that she will be paid for the role. She wasn't hired as a paid employee.

Lee says she was harassed by other volunteers when she raised concerns about sexist comments. The matter was not resolved until Lee was fired.

Lee talked to Andrew about the firing. She stopped returning her phone calls after the candidate said he would have someone from the campaign follow up.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dismissed the complaint because she wasn't an employee.

Lee says her job was to reach out to new volunteers and coordinate trainings. She says that most of the volunteers she worked with hadn't worked on a campaign before. I would show them how to canvass at the park. I was not just a person with a sign.