By Mina Kim and Adam Grossberg
Facing a lawsuit from some of its cheerleading Raiderettes, the Oakland Raiders have agreed to a pay raise and improved conditions for the squad. Attorneys representing Oakland Raiders cheerleaders say the team has voluntarily decided to pay the cheerleaders the state's minimum wage, $9 an hour.
According to NBC Bay Area, the raise "translates to about $3,000 a season," when factoring in all practice time, games and community events the Raiderettes attend.
In January, a suit was filed, prompted by Lacy T., a former Oakland Raiderette, alleging that cheerleaders were paid less than $5 an hour and expected to practice several times a week and appear at events for free.
Wednesday, Lacy T. said she felt like the legal action got the team to move. "I definitely feel like I twisted their arm into following the law," she said. "They had no intention of doing so, and I'm sure they had no idea they were ever going to be sued."