Professional Cheerleaders In California Win Labor Rights Under New Law

The state of California took a big step toward improving cheerleaders’ work conditions this week.

Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a new law requiring professional sports teams to treat their cheerleaders like employees, meaning they’re entitled to at least minimum wage and compensation for outside appearances and events.

In the past, employers often had attempted to classify cheerleaders as independent contractors, allowing the employer to circumvent state labor laws. When the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders sued the team in January 2014, they claimed their wages totaled just $5 per hour, and that they also had to pay separately for essential expenses like hair and makeup.

“Today we took an important step toward ensuring that multi-billion dollar sports teams treat cheerleaders with the same dignity and respect as every other employee who makes the game-day experience special,” assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez said in a statement, via CNN.com.

“We would never tolerate shortchanging of women workers at any other workplace. An NFL game should be no different.”

Current and former cheerleaders on several other NFL teams sued their employers over the past two years, with most citing low pay. The Raiderettes received a $1.25 million settlement last year as a result of their lawsuit.

The new law will go into effect in 2016, and a similar bill is pending in New York.

Thumbnail photo via Cary Edmonson/USA TODAY Sports Images