The Buffalo Jills, the cheerleaders tasked with keeping fan spirits buoyed at Buffalo Bills games, won an important victory off the field this week, as it was ruled that "all Buffalo Bills cheerleaders and ambassadors since April 2008" could join forces on a class action lawsuit aimed at seeing better wages afforded them by the team, per CNN Money.
As CNN notes, the heart of the issue lies with how the franchise designate the cheerleaders, ie; as independent contractors versus team employees. As contractors, the cheerleaders are not entitled to certain workplace rights and, of course, wages.
The Jills claim in the suit that they were paid "below minimum wage" and were also required to attend unpaid events. They also alleged an uncomfortable atmosphere at said events, created by male patrons.
This isn't the first time an NFL franchise has dealt with the issue of cheerleader compensation. As CNN notes, the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets have all been sued in the past.
California Governor Jerry Brown created a law last July that all cheerleaders must be treated as team employees, ensuring they'll at least be paid minimum wage.
A similar law has been advanced in New York.
The Bills released a statement indicating that they would continue to fight the allegations and suggesting that the lawsuit has been pushed forward by only a few disgruntled former cheerleaders.
"It remains our position that this case is being prosecuted by a very small number of former cheerleaders whose allegations do not accurately reflect the sentiment of all cheerleaders," the team's statement read, per CNN.
