Volunteer Sues MLB Because He Volunteered? [POLL]

Volunteering is pretty cut and dried right? You would think so, but a lawsuit by an MLB All-Star Fanfest volunteer is asking for payment for services.

Wait a second. What's the definition of volunteer?

vol·un·teer
/ˌvälənˈti(ə)r/
Noun
A person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task.
Verb
Freely offer to do something.

Huh. So, a person who volunteered for this job and got perks like tickets to events wants money for volunteering?

The whole gripe of the lawsuit by John Chen is to stop for profit companies and entities from using unpaid labor. So where does that leave interns? Oh wait! He was an intern too!

For me the question is, did Mr. Chen know he was a volunteer or did he expect to be compensated monetarily? According to ABC News, he knew.  He got compensated for 17 hours of work over 4 days (don't over work yourself there buddy!) with swag and goodies. The guy stuffed goodie bags, handed them out and stamped hands. Back-breaking work there.

I hope this case gets shut down! Try putting together an event and keeping it at a low price for customers without using volunteers. And why shouldn't the MLB have the freedom to opt for a volunteer force? Are we getting like New York City where we get to tell companies how to run their business?

Mr. Clem freely did his assigned tasks, therefore he volunteered.

Big picture: this case could open a can of worms and severely limit charity volunteering by employees of corporations (collateral damage).