http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/10892763/new-york-jets-cheerleader-files-lawsuit A New York Jets cheerleader filed a class-action lawsuit against the team on Tuesday alleging illegally low wages, making it the fourth suit filed by a cheerleader against an NFL team over compensation. In the complaint, filed in Bergen County, New Jersey, plaintiff Krystal C. said she was not paid for attending thrice-weekly practices or for some other promotional appearances during the time she danced for the team, from June 2012 to Dec. 2013. The suit alleges cheerleaders were paid $150 on each game day and $100 for outside appearances. They were not reimbursed for expenses, or appearance-related mandates such as straightening curly hair on game day. Each member of the Flight Crew was also responsible for selling 30 copies of the calendar and turning the money over to the Jets. The Jets declined to comment on the suit through a team spokesperson. When reached last week regarding the Buffalo Jills filing, NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello said the league doesn't talk about ongoing legal cases. Attorney Sharon Vinick, who filed the initial suit against the Oakland Raiders and is involved in the Jets suit, said the NFL itself hasn't been sued because the NFL is technically not the employer for any of the cheerleaders, the teams are. However, she said, the league does require copies of all the contracts teams make with service providers, and isn't prohibited from raising the issue with teams, or mandating standards. In addition to the Jets and Raiders, the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals also have pending wage battles. "One would certainly think it would be prudent for the NFL to do something," Vinick said. Currently, there is a petition on Change.org asking the NFL to pay cheerleaders a fair wage, and it has more than 128,000 signatures. Although some of the details in recent suits have been eyebrow-raising -- the Bills had a "jiggle test" to ensure cheerleaders were worthy of their uniforms and others instituted a system of fines which further reduced wages -- Krystal C. doesn't make similar allegations in her complaint. The Jets' contract also included a never-ending non-disparagement clause and a morals clause that prohibited cheerleaders from endorsing products related to alcohol, tobacco, firearms or adult entertainment. Cheerleaders also couldn't identify themselves as Flight Crew members on social media without the Jets' consent.
It was only a matter of time after the other cheerleaders did..now it's Oakland, Buffalo, Cincinatti and the Jets..soon it will be a class action suit and involve everybody.
The team was fine without them before, so just get rid of them. They should just be happy getting the exposure for possible future opportunities outside the team.
[quotee="Don, post: 2991170, member: 7732"]It was only a matter of time after the other cheerleaders did..now it's Oakland, Buffalo, Cincinatti and the Jets..soon it will be a class action suit and involve everybody.[/quote] I don't think it can go class action. Each team has its own individual policies and contracts. It may force the nfl to mandate minimum standards though
If you don't like the wage, don't take the job. If nobody worthwhile went out for the job, then they'd be forced to up the wage.
It really is amazing what NFL teams have done w/ cheerleaders, I have zero interest in the flight crew but if you are going to trot them out at least pay them a decent amount for their time. It's embarrassing what NFL teams have been able to get away with.
Do they get a piece of the Swim Suit calendar? I'd have to imagine they get paid for the photo shoot--that can't ALL be free. _
other teams make the cheerleaders but a certain amount and then try to sell them, I assume the Jets do the same thing.
Their mandates include armpit grooming? What overofficious jerks. Required to hawk 30 calendars (with no time/labor compensation). The Jets come across looking like nickle-nursing, penny-pinching tightwads on this one. I hope the Flight Crew wins their suit.
Not only would giving them a decent wage make the team look good, it would mean the talent would improve.
Those poor cheerleaders only making $50 an hour on game day. Do they not get paid for practice sessions or something? They essentially get paid to dance and look pretty. What do they expect? Being pretty is a job requirement, the Jets shouldn't have to pay them to get their hair done.
The problem is that the constructs of the job are illegal. It isn't about "liking" the wages, it's about the fact that the legality of employing someone under those conditions is illegal in the US. If these girls don't raise a suit, and just quit, some other more desperate girls would just end up working in illegal conditions. If McDonald's was sneakily paying their employees under minimum wage, you wouldn't just say "let someone who is desperate enough work there," you'd say sue the greedy fucking corporation.
That's $150 a week . Gotta raise it up to a $1000 per week. The crazy ass prices for seats will more than cover that.
