Should for profit competitions pay volunteers? (Legal ramifications)

[DanceMentor]

I was doing a little research and it seems there are labor laws in the United States regarding for-profit companies having people do work and they’re not paying them. There is reason to believe that people who have worked at competitions should be entitled to a minimum wage. What do you think?

 

[MaggieMoves]

Plenty of nonprofits pay employees in administrative costs. I have no issue with it as long as it makes the product, in this case the competition, better.

 

[PaulBunyon]

It seems like Sport of any kind is full of un-paid volunteers. My dad used to regularly volunteer at the US Open. Are those kids shagging balls at the Tennis matches getting paid? I think most of those volunteers come through the non profit advocacy organizations (PGA, LPGA, etc), I don't know if that makes a difference. Is the NDCA a non profit org? Still, I suspect few of the volunteers are dues paying members of the NDCA.

 

[DanceMentor]

It seems like Sport of any kind is full of un-paid volunteers. My dad used to regularly volunteer at the US Open. Are those kids shagging balls at the Tennis matches getting paid? I think most of those volunteers come through the non profit advocacy organizations (PGA, LPGA, etc), I don't know if that makes a difference. Is the NDCA a non profit org? Still, I suspect few of the volunteers are dues paying members of the NDCA.

It is a non-profit.

The volunteers that are working for the competition organizer are not dues paying members of the NDCA, but they might be a registered competitor with the NDCA.

But isn’t the financial beneficiary the competition organizer?

And actually, it is worse than I thought. This year at the U.S. Open you have to pay to be a volunteer.

That being said there seem to be some other cases where there have been successful challenges, such that someone who is doing labor must be paid a minimum wage. It looks like it is pretty safe right now for the competition organizer, but it is an interesting dilemma just the same.

 

[tangotime]

Does not the very word " Volunteer " imply your services are free .

 

[DL]

I was doing a little research and it seems there are labor laws in the United States regarding for-profit companies having people do work and they’re not paying them. There is reason to believe that people who have worked at competitions should be entitled to a minimum wage. What do you think?

My teacher was a studio owner and comp organizer. His teaching time was ... fluid. My am partner and I had to work around many interruptions but with flexibility on our side we usually got more time than we paid for, strictly speaking.

Once a year, he asked me to help out with some tasks for his comp. I was happy to volunteer.

Fair trade, from my perspective.

 

[Joe]

Not sure what you are asking.
The competition is a for-profit business. It may have volunteers, it may not. But none of that has anything to do with the NDCA.

I believe the issue is that you were responding to PaulBunyon's post regarding volunteers and NDCA. Not sure DM understood that completely.

NDCA itself is ostensibly non-profit. The organizations which make up its membership may or may not be non-profit (e.g. I imagine PDF is, but Fred's isn't). The NDCA competitions at which a volunteer may be working are certainly for-profit.

 

[PaulBunyon]

My question with regards to the NDCA was in regards to does it make any difference (in terms of labor law) if the voluteers are sourced from a non profit advocacy org versus directly by a for profit organizer.

To use my Dad as an example, when he volunteers into US Open he does that through his amateur membership in the USGA. I’m not sure if the US Open is a for profit event or not. If it is, it’s not directly “employing” the volunteers. Most comps have the NCDA in a similar role as USGA. Providing rules and guidelines across the sport versus comp organizers setting rules as hoc. So that’s what I thought the NCDA might have a role.

 

[DrDoug]

In the past, when I've volunteered as a runner at Embassy, they've offered a free ticket to a session of your choice for every two shifts worked. Other comps haven't been quite that generous, but they've at least given free admission to the ballroom during the time that you're working. I'd take either of those over minimum wage any time.

 

[j_alexandra]

When I've been a runner at competitions, I get free admission to the ballroom, even for events I'm dancing, all weekend. Seems fair. In-kind rather than in cash: works for me.