New Bill Would Give California Cheerleaders Basic Workers' Rights

A bill introduced on Thursday by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez would give professional cheerleaders in California employee rights and benefits. Because that is something that we, as Americans, do not in this present day believe they deserve.

According to UT San Diego:

Gonzalez, D-San Diego, said her bill, AB 202, would protect cheerleaders from workplace abuses, including unpaid overtime and being forced to spend significant personal funds on the job, by giving them rights equal to the team’s employees. The teams would have to treat cheerleaders as employees under California law.

Some teams classify them as volunteers and give them minimal compensation, according to critics.

The Charger Girls, who perform at every San Diego Chargers home game, reportedly make $75 per game. Here are the salaries for the San Diego Chargers. According to Gonzalez, a former Stanford University cheerleader, “NFL teams and their billionaire owners have used professional cheerleaders as part of the game day experience for decades. They have capitalized on their talents without providing even the most basic workplace protections like a minimum wage.”