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.

Celine Dion Hit with Wage and Hour Claim by Former Employee

Celine Dion and husband Rene Angelil are being sued by their former employee for not paying him overtime wage.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the couple’s former employee, Keith Sturtevant, started working for them since March 2009 until June 2012 as a warehouse manager.

In his lawsuit, Sturtevant claimed that during his entire employment with the couple, he never received overtime pay despite the fact that he regularly worked for more than 40 hours a week.

Moreover, Sturtevant claimed that the couple unlawfully declared him as an “exempt” employee so that the latter would not be required to pay worker’s compensation insurance and taxes. Aside from Sturtevant, there were also three other workers that Dion and her husband classified as independent contractor for the same purpose, added Sturtevant in his lawsuit.

Sturtevant further said that although he was hired as a warehouse manager at the couple’s warehouse in Stuart, Florida, he also perform other duties at the couple’s giant house in Hobe Sound, Florida such as fixing ice makers, cleaning house shutters, building stages, and repairing kitchen items.

Also, Sturtevant alleges that there might have been some nepotism involved in the case since the only worker that was classified as an “employee” and was being paid with overtime wages was the estate manager’s brother, Scott Hyde.

The lawsuit is seeking for unspecified damages and other fees related.  Meanwhile, Dion’s party was not yet providing comments regarding the matter.

Under the California employment laws, workers and employees must receive a minimum wage of $8.00 per hour of work. However, said statute has exemptions to those who are working as outside sales person, parents, spouse or child of the employer and apprentices. Unfortunately, failure to pay overtime wage is one of the common wage violations often committed by employers.