Why Oakland’s NFL Cheerleaders are Suing the Raiders

Apparently, the Oakland Raiders’ owner probably doesn’t believe that the comprehensive California labor laws also apply to its cheerleaders.

Recent reports have it that California’s Oakland Raiders is now being sued by its cheerleaders, the Raiderettes, for wage and hour claims.

Image gives credit to Brian Bahr / Getty Images.

According to media sources, the lawsuit was prompted by one cheerleader known as Lacy T.

Lacy T. claimed that she and her fellow cheerleaders only received $1,250 for the whole season or $125 per game, or less than $5 an hour.

So far, California’s minimum wage per hour is $8. Thus, the cheerleaders are getting less than the current legal minimum wage per hour and worst is that they would not be getting paid until the end of the season, and only for game appearances and nothing else.

Allegedly, under the cheerleader’s contract of agreement, the women are required to pay for lots of expenses such as their hairstyling, make-up and all costs for traveling to all kinds of events including photo shoots. Also, they were deprived of rest and meal breaks according to reports.   

The cheerleader’s labor lawyer has deemed it as a clear violation of a California employment law, which requires an employer to pay for or indemnify for anything that an employee expends.

Meanwhile, Lacy T. and her employment lawyer are hoping that the lawsuit will be endorsed as a class action suit. They hope that other Raiderettes members would join them in seeking restitution from the team.

The Raiders’ on the other hand is not yet giving its comment on the matter.

For all we know, football is considered as a lucrative sport. In fact, based on a recent statistic showing the annual revenue of major sports leagues, NFL has the highest revenue which amounts to $9.5 billion. Thus, there is no obvious reason why the league’s cheerleaders should be deprived of the compensation and benefits they deserve.

Guidelines for a Healthy and Safe Working Environment

The health and safety of workers should always be considered first. Employers must ensure that their employees are in a healthy condition and safe workplace during working hours. Employees are also expected to follow few simple guidelines to help their employer achieve a healthy and safe working environment.

Regulations for a healthy and safe environment are created to avoid employees from sustaining personal injuries and other health threats from work.

Below are some health and safety guidelines that both employers and employees should strictly observe in a work place:

•    Wear protective mask, gears and safety glasses and other protective equipment during working hours, most specially when in a dangerous work site. Take note that personal protective equipment should be provided by employers free of charge.

•    It is the duty and obligation of an employee suffering from illness, sustained personal injuries, during working hours or discovered that she’s pregnant or going through a medication to immediately inform the employer. Employers must be aware of the employee’s condition immediately to give way on how the employee can carry out his or her job.  

•    Employees operating machineries or driving should avoid wearing jewelry during working hours and if an employee has long hair, he is required to tie his hair properly to avoid the risk of getting them stuck into machineries.

•    Employees are also responsible for taking reasonable precautions not to put other people at risk by actions they commit or fail to commit during their work.

•    Apart from the preventive measures, employers are also required to conduct a special training for employees about the correct use of safety equipments and other health and safety trainings.

•    The most important part here is that, employers and employees should coordinate with each other in ensuring a healthy and safe working environment.

Employers are the first to be held liable in case of accidents and health threats during working hours. Therefore, employers are expected to implement strict workplace health and safety regulations which the employees should religiously obey.

In the event that the employer fails to follow these few simple guidelines for the health and safety, employees can try to discuss it with the supervisor, manager or the employer first and if they fail to accommodate your concerns, then maybe it’s time for you to consult to an employment lawyer near you to hear all your concerns.