Sexism and Discrimination in Sports

Sexism and Discrimination in Sports

NFL cheerleaders make less than minimum wage. ASF

Three separate suits filed against the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals describe contracts that don't guarantee the minimum wage and claim the cheerleaders are vastly underpaid.

Including the games, practices and other events, she calculated her hourly wage at $2.85.

Team spokesman Jack Brennan responded, "The Ben-Gals cheerleading program has long been a program run by former cheerleaders and has enjoyed broad support in the community and by members of the squad." The team's attorneys filed documents in federal court which argued Brenneman "has been paid all wages allegedly due" under state and federal law.

The case against the Raiders, which was filed in January, is tied up in court over a stipulation in the cheerleading contract that disputes be settled in arbitration, said attorney Sharon Vinick, who represents a former Raiders cheerleader named Lacy T.

"This is our dream job, we work extremely hard to be on this team and to maintain our spot on this team," Lacy T., who is suing the Raiders, told CNN. The team declined to comment when the suit was filed and didn't respond to a new request for comment last week.

The lawsuit against the Bills, filed by five former members of its cheerleading organization the "Jills," said "each individual Jill provides approximately 20 hours of unpaid labor per week ... This equals 840 hours of unpaid work per woman, per year."

For organizations to be funded by the public in the millions of dollars and to still underpay workers and violate minimum wage laws sets a bad precedent for where public funding goes. Cheerleaders do not have a union and have little power to fight the wage violations other than direct lawsuits. Public money seems to be going to organizations that abuse their power from a financial perspective.

NFL Violates Union Rights

In his 28-page ruling, Doty criticized special master Stephen Burbank for legal errors and erroneously concluding earlier this month that the NFL can act like a self-interested conglomerate when in fact it is bound by legal agreements to make deals that benefit both league and player.

Doty instead declared that the NFL violated its agreement with the union, which had asked that the TV money be placed in escrow until the end of any lockout. A hearing, yet to be scheduled, will be held to determine potential damages for the players as well as an injunction involving the TV contracts.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello downplayed the significance of the ruling, saying the 32 teams were "prepared for any contingency."

"Today's ruling will have no effect on our efforts to negotiate a new, balanced labor agreement," Aiello said. He told The Associated Press that the NFL had not immediately determined whether it would appeal.

The case, however, has billions at stake.

The union accused the NFL of failing to secure the maximum revenue possible when it restructured broadcast contracts in 2009 and 2010, and claimed the deals were designed to guarantee owners enough money to survive a lockout. The union argued this violated an agreement between the sides that says the NFL must make good-faith efforts to maximize revenue for players.

Unions act as a public body to represent workers, however the NFL blatantly ignores their demands and violates the deals that have been made. This shows a bad relationship with the public, and that the organization is strictly profit driven, and does not concern itself with the interests of the neighborhoods in its surrounding, or its workers, as long as profit is ultimately made. The ability to side-step lockouts is directly related to financial security, arguably coming from the freeing up of funds due to public subsidies.
The NFL does not provide for the safety of players. ASF

Pelissero, Tom. "Players union: NFL 'on the verge' of 2014 season without HGH testing" July 25, 2014. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/07/25/union-cba-hgh-testing-roger-goodell/13156713/

Nearly three years after the ratification of a collective bargaining agreement that included a promise to test for human growth hormone, the NFL and its players union appear no closer than they've been since last summer to a comprehensive drug policy.

In an email to players Friday obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the NFL Players Association once again blamed the league for refusing to give up Commissioner Roger Goodell's authority over appeals not related to positive drug tests, such as arrests and evidentiary cases — the primary issue that prevented a deal from getting done last summer.

The league has made numerous concessions, including agreeing to the HGH population study the union demanded, even though the NFL maintains the study is unnecessary. But the league has said repeatedly that commissioner authority was agreed to in the CBA and is non-negotiable.

"Thus, we are on the verge of another year without a safer and cleaner game because the NFL refuses to commit to fair due process for players who choose to appeal NFL discipline for alleged drug policies violations," the union email said.