DonLever Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 From the Globe And Mail: Five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders have sued the New York state football team, claiming it violated state wage laws by forcing them to work hundreds of hours without pay, cover their own travel expenses and spend hundreds of dollars on uniforms. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court by the former Buffalo Jills, is the third case this year brought against National Football League teams claiming wage violations. It follows similar suits brought by members of the Oakland Raiderettes and Cincinnati Ben-Gals. The five cheerleaders, who worked between 2010 and 2014, said in the complaint that the team and two companies that managed the cheer squad took unlawful deductions from their wages (including the cost of uniforms), forced them to work up to 840 unpaid hours a year - the equivalent of 21 40-hour weeks - at practices and promotional events and made them pay $650 for their uniforms. They also said the team levied penalties on cheerleaders who failed the “jiggle test,” a visual inspection of a dancer’s body fat. “So many of us dreamed of being Buffalo Jills since we were little girls. When I made the team, I thought I was starting the best chapter of my life. I soon realized it wasn’t a dream come true at all, but a nightmare,” said a plaintiff who gave her name as Alyssa U, in a statement. The cheerleaders’ full names were also omitted from the court filing in an effort to protect them from potential retaliation. According to the complaint, Alyssa U was paid $420 for all of her work as a Buffalo Jill during the 2012-2013 football season. That same year, Bills defensive end Mario Williams was paid about $16-million, the eighth-highest average annual salary in the NFL, according to Forbes. “We are aware of this lawsuit, and it is our organizational policy not to comment on pending litigation,” the team said in a statement. A similar suit filed in February by Alexa Brenneman of the Cincinnati Ben-Gals said she was paid only $855 for over 300 hours of work during the 2013 season, or roughly $2.85 an hour. That suit followed a class action filed against California’s Oakland Raiders in January, which said the team’s cheerleaders were paid roughly $5 an hour. Twenty-six of the 32 NFL franchises have official cheerleader squads, each with some two to three dozen members. The Jills’ suit seeks the unpaid balance of their wages under minimum wage laws, repayment of any deducted wages and court costs. The NFL is one of the most successful professional sports leagues in the world, bringing in around $10-billion in revenue a year. “(The lawsuit) is trying to leverage the fame and wealth that the Bills have and suggest that they’re cheapskates,” said Michael LeRoy, a labor law expert at the University of Illinois. “The bottom line is if they can prove that they weren’t paid while they were performing, then they have a case.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonMexico Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 The Fe-lions get paid sweet nothing for being a cheerleader of the BC Lions. They are informed of this from the start and that they will be doing promotional work on behalf of the club which I beleive is also unpaid. None of them seem to openly complain. These broads above seem to be doing what they do best, paper chasing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 The Fe-lions get paid sweet nothing for being a cheerleader of the BC Lions. They are informed of this from the start and that they will be doing promotional work on behalf of the club which I beleive is also unpaid. None of them seem to openly complain. These broads above seem to be doing what they do best, paper chasing. Comparing it to other cheerleaders is irrelevant if these cheerleaders have some sort of written agreement. If the Bills cheerleaders have some sort of agreement with their "employers" then they have to abide by the agreement, regardless of if other teams don't pay their cheerleaders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFCanuck Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Buffalo Jills... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuckin_futz Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 No pics of the "jiggle test". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c00kies Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I definitely thought the jiggle test was something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 No pics of the "jiggle test". Of course not. I'm sure that cheerleaders hate being objectified. /sarcasm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheels22 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 You get money for dancing around and looking hot.. What would you expect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 No pics of the "jiggle test". Agreed, I would like to see proof of this test.... You know, for science Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Buffalo Jills... I feel like laughing just because of Drew Carey in this gif. He's surely got the most contagious laughter in history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Considering the NFL rakes in BILLIONS, being cheapskates to their cheerleaders is pretty pathetic. You'd think ESPN at least would be paying them each 50k per year given how much airtime they are given on Monday Night Football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 It's a joke how little they get paid. Hope they win! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etsen3 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 The Fe-lions get paid sweet nothing for being a cheerleader of the BC Lions. They are informed of this from the start and that they will be doing promotional work on behalf of the club which I beleive is also unpaid. None of them seem to openly complain. These broads above seem to be doing what they do best, paper chasing. Depends on the situation. Perhaps the Buffalo Jills weren't told about the working conditions/pay from the beginning. I would think this case depends on whatever was agreed upon at the beginning of employment between the team and the cheerleaders. Like you said, the Felions are told from the beginning that they won't be paid, so they're fully inforemed and they're just in it for fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewismyname Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I also hope they win. Getting visually molested by drunks etc should give you a fair wage. Saying stuff like they aren't working etc is a joke. Cheerleading is a big part of football and they should be paid at least enough to support a pretty good life. If you don't pay them you're basically degrading the entire production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 You get money for dancing around and looking hot.. What would you expect? It's their right to market and sell their own sexuality. Basic capitalism. Do they not deserve the same labour rights as everyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Dane Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 From my understanding, I believe that these contracts are structured as flat-wage pays, not hourly rates. The cheerleaders sign a contract for the season with their respective teams and agree to all these terms. I'm not sure on the numbers but after working in the entertainment/sporting industry the amount they get paid is much less than minimum wage. For example it's probably about $40 for each home game and maybe $200 for all the rehearsal (practice) time, and promo work. These numbers may be generous based on whats being reported but the structure isn't far off. It's going to be tough in court, as they all signed contracts agreeing to the terms. Unless they can disprove the legitimacy of the contract or human rights/labour laws, it will be extremely tough. Plus the Bills probably have much better lawyers, I don't expect the cheerleaders to win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etsen3 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I also hope they win. Getting visually molested by drunks etc should give you a fair wage. Saying stuff like they aren't working etc is a joke. Cheerleading is a big part of football and they should be paid at least enough to support a pretty good life. If you don't pay them you're basically degrading the entire production. I think the question is, did they know what the wage would be or were they misled? If they knew that pay would be low and they took the job anyway, then the responsibility lies on them for getting themselves into the situation. For example, volunteers do work for free knowing they will not get paid and this is accepted. If the team forced the extra hours upon them or took wage deductions without informing their employees from the start that this would happen, or broke labour code, then it's the Bills' fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockhart Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 They SHOULD have a jiggle test and I should be doing the "evaluating" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefCon1 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 They SHOULD have a jiggle test and I should be doing the "evaluating" Not sure if you know what the jiggle test was. It has to do with body fat. If it jiggles you fail not the other way around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMR Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Wonder when they get on the stand if they will cheer for what they want.....Give me an M, Give me an O, Give me an N, Give me an E, Give me an Y. What does that spell Money.PS: if they paid for the uniforms they can wear it on the stand.If they get the right jury/Judge they will clean up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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