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Breaking: California Governor Signs Bill That Provides Labor Protections to Cheerleaders


Back in May, I had posted a note on California Bill AB 202 that was moving through the California legislature.  (AB 202 Could Provide Labor Protections For Cheerleaders).  That bill proposed that cheerleaders for professional sports teams would be entitled to receive minimum wage, workers' compensation, and other employment benefits.  At the time, the bill had been approved by the state Assembly and was moving forward in the Senate. 

Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law that piece of legislation.  This new law is groundbreaking in several respects, namely that the cheerleaders will now be designated as employees rather than independent contractors.  As a result, cheerleaders in the state will now be entitled to paid sick leave, meal and rest breaks, and other benefits that other workers in hourly jobs enjoy.

This is a big change from how cheerleaders in California have typically been treated previously.  Some readers might remember that a lawsuit from an Oakland Raiders cheerleader is what really started the ball rolling on efforts to reform and improve the protections for professional cheerleaders.  (Oakland Raiders Cheerleader Files Wage & Hour Suit).

While the law does not become effective until January 1, 2016, it is still a major victory for proponents of more employment protections for cheerleaders.  Whether this law will have any impact on other states remains to be seen.  However at this time, New York legislators are considering a similar proposal to the bill signed into law in California.  

Stay tuned, California might have started a ripple effect here.


For additional information, see the L.A. Times article:  http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-cheerleader-employee-protections-20150715-story.html

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