An Oakland Raiders cheerleader, Lacy T. (that’s all the name you get per Raiders privacy guidelines) has sued the Raiders claiming that the Raiders have not paid her at least the minimum wage for the work she does as a Raiderette (a copy of the lawsuit is available here).
As a Raiderette, Lacy T. received $125 per home game. There are 10 home games (including pre-season), so Lacy T. received $1,250 per season. Since each game is 3-4 hours, the pay may not seem so bad, but Raiderettes work up to 9 hours per game day and are also expected to attend rehearsals, go to at least 10 public appearances and charity events, appear for a photo-shoot for a swimsuit calendar, and apparently incur expenses for things like eyelashes. For these non-game activities, Lacy T. says she was not paid anything extra.
California law requires that employees are paid a minimum wage (currently $8/hour) for all hours worked. There are some exceptions, but none of those exceptions appear to apply to the Raiderettes.
The LA Times obtained a copy of the Raiderettes handbook, which describe the Raiderettes working conditions in greater detail, including a schedule of fines, advice to keep nail polish in their cars, and how not to fraternize with the players and staff.
For more on this case, see this San Francisco Chronicle article.
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