Give me a K! Or, 825 of them!
A group of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders reached a settlement with the team, netting the pom-pom’ers $825,000 for gross underpayment.
Manouchcar Pierre-Val filed a lawsuit last May against the team on behalf of herself and 93 other cheerleaders, alleging the Bucs violated federal and state wage laws. Pierre-Val, a registered nurse, lasted less than a year with the team because of the pay frustrations, which included her assertion she was paid less than $2 per hour. The Raymond James Stadium staples allegedly were paid $100 per game, but went unpaid for mandatory practices.
According to Pierre-Val’s lawyer, the group was compensated $25 to $50 for corporate-sponsored events, but nothing for any other event. The cheerleaders had to put in at least 40 hours of public appearance events per year.
After the settlement, according to TMZ, each cheerleader will bring home just under $6,000.
The victory looks to be a precedent-setting one: The Jets, Bengals and Raiders face similar lawsuits from disgruntled cheerleaders.