A 21-year-old former New York City Council intern, who identifies as a socialist has claimed she was fired for advocating for a pay of $32 an hour along with full health benefits for herself and her coworkers. She’s now planning to sue the city council. Interestingly, she hails from a wealthy background.
Mina Faramand, who was involved in a free internship, played a role in the election of Mayor Zoran Mamdani, another individual who has benefited from privilege. She is the daughter of a well-known surgeon and was raised in an impressive six-bedroom home on 30 acres in Colville, Washington.
Her father, Mehrdad Farahmand, works as a general surgeon and is affiliated with Providence, the largest health care provider in Washington state. Although his exact salary isn’t publicly available, current listings for similar positions at Providence indicate that surgeons can expect to earn between $457,269 and $555,423 annually.
In addition to her family’s financial backdrop, Mr. Faramand owns a plot of 5.5 acres near Kettle Falls, Washington, valued at close to $1 million.
Last month, Faramand made headlines for being terminated from her unpaid internship with City Councilman Harvey Epstein after leading a campaign to secure compensation for interns. She had aimed to set up a fund to provide all City Council interns a wage of $32 per hour, which, as some may know, is nearly double the city’s minimum wage of $17.
Some critics have condemned what they see as a misallocation of funds by the younger generation, pointing to the privilege some possess.
“This is just another individual from a privileged background who took an unpaid internship and unexpectedly asked for payment afterward,” commented Robert Holden, a former city councilman aware of Faramand’s affluent upbringing.
Holden further expressed that the focus should be on those sincerely committed to public service rather than individuals seeking to provoke controversy.
Faramand’s internship began on May 19 and was expected to conclude in July. Epstein claimed that her dismissal was not related to her organizing efforts, but rather related to her performance.
Faramand announced plans to take legal action against the council after they approved a new budget that failed to provide for her wage demands.
“The New York City Council’s budget indicates that they believe unpaid interns are acceptable,” she stated, adding, “We have conveyed our struggles, and now we’re pursuing legal action for fair wages.”
As of Friday, there was no record of a lawsuit having been filed against the council.
While some interns are compensated, others participate solely to earn college credits.
The council member, Menin, chose not to comment but previously noted that the decision to pay interns is left to the discretion of each individual council member.
“I am suing New York City for wages because all interns should be compensated. Virtually all unpaid internships at the New York City Council, including mine, violate the Fair Labor Standards Act’s primary beneficiary test,” Faramand stated.
