Cheerleaders Win Wage Theft Lawsuit

The Oakland Raiders cheerleaders – The Raiderettes – have just settled their wage and hour lawsuit against the team. The minimum wage and overtime lawsuit asserted that the Oakland Raiders violated labor laws in several ways, including the failure to pay minimum wage and overtime compensation as required by law.

Pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) workers are required to be paid at least minimum wage and all non-exempt employees must be paid one and one half times their standard rate of pay for all time worked in excess of 40 hours in any one work week.

State labor laws are similar to the FLSA, and often contain even more employee friendly provisions. As such if you have questions concerning what laws cover your work situation or believe that you may not have been paid all the compensation you are entitled to, consulting with an experienced Atlanta wage and hour attorney right away is important to ensure you receive all the pay you rightly deserve.

Here, the cheerleaders asserted that the team broke state minimum wage laws by withholding wages for months and refusing to reimburse the cheerleaders for their business expenses. In the summer, the cheerleaders were victorious when the team agreed to pay the squad on an hourly basis plus overtime, rather than on a flat fee basis.

As the result of the settlements, cheerleaders who have worked for the team will be awarded back pay and damages.

Often – such as was the situation here – if you have not received all the pay you are entitled to, your co-workers in the same position have also not been fairly compensated. In these cases, it may be possible to bring an FLSA class action, known as a collective action, which will help you bring more pressure on your employer to change its ways and pay you all the compensation you are owed.

For more information or for any wage and hour concerns, please contact the dedicated Georgia wage and hour lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate case evaluation.