Warren Little
Getty
A former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader, Manouchar Pierre-Val filed a class-action lawsuit against the Bucs claiming that the team violated federal and state wage laws.
Pierre-Val said that they were paid $100 for every home game and $25 to $50 an hour for corporate events, but that anything after that, the women received no compensation. She said that the most of the things they did as cheerleaders representing the franchise were events that they were not getting compensated for.
“It’s only fair that the girls get compensated for the time they put in, especially if the Bucs are reaping the benefits,” said Pierre-Val. Pierre-Val was a cheerleader from March 2012 to March 2013. She said, “cheerleaders are not just performing on Sundays, it’s a time commitment both mentally and physically.”
Pierre-Val isn’t the only cheerleader in the NFL who has made complaints towards the team they worked for regarding poor conditions and pay.
The settlement says about the Bucs team, “to avoid burden, expense, and uncertainty of continuing the Litigation,” but the team isn’t admitting any “wrongdoing or liability.
The settlement covers 94 current and former team cheerleaders “who worked for the team between June 2, 2009, and May 9, 2014.”
The cheerleaders receive about $3,400 per season and that’s after the subtraction of all legal fees.
Pierre-Val said, “I got a lot of backlash. People see the girls on game day and they feel all we do is dance around the field and go home. We also bring money to the organization. People don’t understand we do a lot for the Bucs.”
Pierre-Val currently works as a nurse-practitioner and just recently earned a master’s degree in nurse from the University of South Florida.
Via:tbo.com
