LA Raiders Cheerleaders Lawsuit

On January 22, 2014, “Lacy T.”, on behalf of the Oakland Raider Cheerleaders, filed a class action lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court against the Oakland Raiders alleging unfair pay practices. Most glaringly, the “Raiderettes” claim that their yearly salary of $1,250.00 equated to roughly $5.00 per hour, well below the minimum wage, after considering all of their required obligations throughout the year, which may have consisted of up to 300 appearances.

In addition to criminally low wages, the Raiderettes lawsuit cites frequent fines, failure to pay overtime, and late payment. The Raiderettes are allegedly tacked with frequent fines for minor “violations” such as wearing the wrong clothes or forgetting to bring various materials to practice. The Raiderettes don’t even receive any payment until the end of the season. Yet, Raiderettes are still expected to pay for their own expenses throughout the season, such as travel and make-up. Lacy’s attorney believes that the Raiders may owe tens of thousands of dollars to current and former Raiderettes in unpaid wages and penalties.