California bill would classify pro sports cheerleaders employees

A bill currently before California Governor Jerry Brown would make clear that cheerleaders for state-based professional sports teams are employees, following high-profile lawsuits alleging labor violations in the state and elsewhere around the country. The bill, which would add a section to the state's labor code specifying that cheerleaders are team employees, passed the state Senate by a margin of 26 to 6 on Monday after easily clearing the Assembly. "Everyone who works hard to provide a great game day experience deserves the same basic level of dignity and respect on the job, starting with simply being paid for their work," Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who authored the bill, said in a statement after it passed.

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