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Fight for Minimum Wage for N.F.L. Cheerleaders Gains Steam


In the past month, there have been several developments in regard to the wage and hour claims brought by N.F.L. cheerleaders against the league and the teams they cheer for.  

On September 9, approximately 19 Congressmen from around the country sent a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell and advocated for minimum wage for these cheerleaders and to designate them as employees.  As the letter pointed out, the FLSA affords these cheerleaders protections from wage theft which they allege is occurring throughout the league.  

In a subtle jab to the lack of action by the N.F.L., the letter notes that California passed a bill to address the wage theft in regard to these cheerleaders.  As well, the letter drew attention to a similar bill that is pending in New York.

The letter closed with a request that the N.F.L. do something about this issue, given that females make up approximately 45% of the fan base.  In addition, the Congressmen implored the N.F.L. to take the opportunity to take a stand on the issue and be proactive on the matter.  

In response, the N.F.L. stated that it supports "fair employment practices."  As well, the league noted that the teams which have cheerleaders "are expected to comply with federal and state wage laws."  I do not know about you, but it sounds like the league is "punting" on the issue and placing the blame (and burden) on the individual teams...


A copy of the letter can be found here:  https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2388591/2015-09-09-letter-to-nfl-commissioner-final.pdf

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