The Oakland Raiders Cheerleaders Are Getting A Raise
The new contract was likely awarded in response to a lawsuit one of the Raiderettes filed in January against the Raiders and the NFL, the LA Times reports. That suit claimed theft of wages and unfair employment practices.
In the past, the team cheerleaders earned $125 per game for up to 10 games a season, but allegedly earned no wages for the countless hours spent at mandatory rehearsals and public appearances. They were also allegedly not reimbursed by the organization for travel expenses. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, their pay figured around $5 per hour. What's more, dancers were allegedly fined for forgetting yoga mats and pom-poms at practice, and benched by the squad's director if they gained more than five pounds from the start of the season.
"The paltry raise also means the team will no longer be vulnerable to allegations that it has violated a laundry list of state labor laws including failing to pay minimum wage, illegally deducting wages for minor rules infractions like tardiness, failing to reimburse mandatory business expenses and issuing paychecks only once a year."
According to the new contract, the Raiderettes will now earn $9 dollars an hour, and will be paid up to 350 hours per season plus overtime. In all, their annual compensation will be raised to $3,200, plus reimbursements. The new contract isn't related to the lawsuit, the LA Times notes. It's not clear whether the suit will continue.
"This should be considered a victory for the workers," Catherine Ruckleshaus, legal director of the National Employment Law Project, told the LA Times. "But minimum wage is still not very much, even if you double it for overtime."