ALBANY — Fight, fight, fight for the cheerleaders.
The battle against income inequality in New York has gone beyond fast-food workers and has now come to include professional sports cheerleaders.
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Queens) introduced a bill Wednesday that would require New York teams to give their cheerleading squads — who sports franchises often treat as independent contractors — the same workplace benefits and protections provided to team employees.
Teams like the Buffalo Bills, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets that have cheerleading or dance squads would be required to pay them at least the state minimum wage, which is $8.75 an hour but due to go up to $9 an hour at the end of the year.
“As we continue the fight for equal pay across the state, we cannot overlook any worker entitled to fair pay under the law,” Rozic said. “Sports teams and owners should not continue to capitalize without providing the most basic workplace protections.”
The bill comes on the heels of a series of wage theft lawsuits brought by five cheerleading squads of NFL teams, including one filed against the Jets, who are based in New Jersey, and another by the Buffalo Jills against the Buffalo Bills.
According to the lawsuit, some members of the squad were given instructions on proper hygiene, told how to behave in public, and subjected to sexual harassment.
To get around the state labor laws, members of the Jills were required to sign contracts that made them independent contractors, not team employees, the lawsuit claimed.
A class-action lawsuit by a Jets cheerleader filed in May 2014 said she was paid $150 for game-day performances, but not paid for attending three weekly practices.
Similar lawsuits have been filed against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Oakland Raiders.
The Buccaneers and Raiders settled their cases and agreed to pay their cheerleaders minimum wage.
As part of the settlements, the Raiders agreed to pay $1.25 million and the Buccaneers $825,000.
Under Rozic’s bill, professional cheerleaders would be defined as anyone “who performs acrobatics, dance or gymnastic exercises in promotion of a professional sports franchise.”
Gov. Cuomo, who recently created a board to consider a minimum wage hike for fast food workers, will review the bill, but “believes all New Yorkers in every profession are entitled to a fair wage,” his spokeswoman, Melissa DeRosa said.
State Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island) is set to sponsor the bill in her chamber.
“These teams try to sell them this idea that ‘you’ll become famous and one day you’ll thank us for exploiting you.'”
She said she is holding out hope the bill can pass before the end of the June 17 scheduled end of the legislative session.
“Maybe I’ll get (the cheerleaders) to come and cheer the Senate on,” Savino cracked.
An NFL spokesman did not immediately return a call for comment. Reps for the Knicks and Nets had no immediate comment.
