Just Monday, the attorney representing the first plaintiff said she was talking to other Raiderettes about joining the class action suit and on Tuesday, she produced another. The attorney said there are multiple clauses in their contract that go against California law including one that says they can't sue the Raiders organization.
The two Raiderettes are named in the suit as Lacy T. and Sarah G. Sarah filed Tuesday morning. Both say the money they are paid by the Oakland Raiders doesn't begin to cover the hours they put in.
"I felt used. I felt betrayed by an organization that I give my heart and soul. All these girls give their heart and soul, and work so hard," she said.
Both women are still on the Raiders website. Lacy claims she didn't see the contract until after she had joined. She filed her suit in late January "to bring awareness and bring the public and the media, to put pressure on these teams in the NFL to make big changes."
Lacy's attorney says each member is paid $125 per home game. In other words, they get paid for performing, but nothing for the hours they spend rehearsing or participating in promotional events.
"It's not legal to pay someone less than minimum wage. That's a violation of both state and federal law," attorney Sharon Vinick said. Vinick says she is talking to other Raiderettes about those same claims.
Former Raiderette Loreen says most women join knowing it will help boost their career. She owns a successful personal training business now and says there are other ways to get paid. "There are countless other ways to make money. Our calendar signings, when we sell calendars, we always make a profit out of that," Sarah said,
The Raiders have yet to comment. "There are more of us out there and in the end, I just want everyone to be paid fairly," said.
And here's the rub -- according to the lawsuit, the Raiderettes get paid at the end of the season, so they have to wait several months to see that paycheck.
