NFL Cheerleaders Sue Oakland Raiders Over Crap Wages

On Wednesday, the cheerleading squad for the Raiders filed suit against the NFL team, alleging wage theft and unfair employment practices. And you thought the worse thing the Raiders had to worry about was their shitty football season.

According to the Mercury News, the suit filed by the squad alleges the team does not pay any of the Raiderettes until the season is over. The suit also claims the team didn’t pay cheerleaders for all the hours they worked and didn’t reimburse them for business related expenses.

According to [the squad’s lawyer], the
Raiders cheerleaders are contracted for an annual salary of $1,250,
which amounts to an hourly wage of less than $5 per hour. The lawsuit
also claims that the Raiderettes incur other costs, including fines
levied for infractions such as bringing the wrong pom-poms to practice,
wearing the wrong workout clothing to rehearsals, failing to bring a
yoga mat to practice, or not turning in written biographies on time.

“The club controls our hairstyle and makeup, and we have to foot the
bill,” said Lacy T., (identified only by her first name). “We
also have to pay the costs for traveling to all kinds of events,
including photo shoots… I love the Raiders and I love being a
Raiderette, but someone has to stand up for all of the women of the NFL
who work so hard for the fans and the teams.”

The team has so far declined to comment. The attorney representing the squad, Sharon Vinick said the women were owed thousands of dollars, noting that she had never seen an employment contract with so many illegal provisions. Yikes.

“It’s as if the Raiders’
owners believe that the laws that protect all workers in California
just don’t apply to them,” Vinick said.