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Fighters have complained about the fact that they're treated like employees without any of the benefits.
They say they often have to make UFC appearances without getting paid. They are also required to check in for random drug tests and to fight wearing gear from Reebok -- the UFC's official partner -- even if they personally have other sponsors.
"Controlling things like uniforms and requiring drug tests could mean that a worker is being treated as an employee," said employment attorney Christopher Marlborough. "If you hire someone to paint your house, you're contracting them -- you can't control what they wear. If they're your employee that's different -- you ...
Several UFC fighters have brought a class action anti-trust lawsuit against UFC that alleges the company uses its dominance in the space to, among other things, keep fighter pay low. The UFC recently lost its appeal to have the case thrown out.
Neither UFC fighters nor cheerleaders have been able to successfully form a union to help establish collective bargaining agreements.
But the NFL cheerleaders have used another tactic to demand better wages and rights -- they've sued for the right to be labeled an employee.
Cheerleaders for the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets have all sued their teams -- most have settled.
The Raiders cheerleaders reached a settlement for $1.25 million and the Buccaneers agreed to a $825,000 settlement.
California passed a law classifying cheerleaders as employees, making them eligible for at least the minimum wage.
The Buffalo Jills won the right to bring a class action suit against their employer, and a decision in that case is expected by the end of 2016.
The Guardian is reporting that Caster Semenya has gone into hiding and is receiving "trauma counseling" after the results of her gender tests were publicly announced last week— tests, her mother claims, Caster didn't know anything about.
"I don't care about what they say she (Caster) is, because I am her mother. But what makes me angry is that, as parents, we were not even told she was going to be tested," Dorcus Semenya tells the Independent News and Media, "What is even more heartbreaking is that my child said she was not told anything about the test...
Semenya claims that her daughter was unjustly humiliated by officials, who waited until after Caster won the race to begin the testing, noting that if her gender was really such a concern, they should have tested her before she even had a chance to run. Donald Lee of the Democratic Athletics alliance places the blame o...
Caster is now reportedly receiving counseling in order to deal with the trauma that the test results—and how they were broadcast across the world. Semenya's mother compares the officials' handing of the test results to "thieves who break into your house and do what they want," and she isn't wrong; in rushing to discove...
Owners of the PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band 2 will be asked to upgrade their copies to version 1.01 today. That hundredth increase in version numbering brings with it a bunch of new bug fixes, the most noteworthy being a corrected "interoperability issue" with Guitar Hero World Tour drum and guitar peripherals. Ha...
Release Notes: Hardware · Provided support for third party drum and guitar controllers including GHWT & RR. · Adjusted crosstalk values for drum hardware. · Bug fix for remote drum fills being silent – users will now hear the drum track when drum fills. Gameplay · Fixed overlapping drum fill bug on drum track. · Fixed ...
With 10 years under one leader, Lehigh Community Services will have a new one in 2018.
Charlotte Rae Nicely, the executive director for the past decade, is retiring with the new year. Carolyn Peplow, who has been serving as the assistant director since 2016, is her replacement.
During Nicely's time, Lehigh Community Services has grown tremendously.
"We've come a long way," she said. "We purchased our own building. We served 47,000 clients this year."
The organization has added 20 programs.
"We've expanded our literacy program, and we even relocated our classes to another facility because we have so many students," Nicely said.
Lehigh Community Services also provides free tax preparation services to local residents and has processed more returns in four years than any other United Way in Lee County, she added.
"One of the things I'm most proud of is our VITA program, which is the voluntary income tax assistance program," Nicely said. "We had over a million dollars returned to this community for four years. The people spend that money right here - it goes to Walmart, gas stations and the small businesses."
The growth has also been apparent in the culture of the agency.
"We've become more aware of the climate of our community because we interact with our clients on a daily basis," she said. "They talk to us and tell us what is going on. We try to be ahead of the curve."
Nicely noted that she could not have done it by herself.
"We couldn't have done it without the generous support of our donors and our colleagues in this community," she said.
Peplow explained that she wants to build on Nicely's success.
"I feel like (Nicely has) done such a great job that we run so well," she said. "I want it just to continue, maybe do some expansion in our literacy program."
Peplow was mentored by Nicely in preparation for the change of hands.
"I've been her assistant director for the last year," she said. "She's really worked with me to prepare me."
Even though Peplow is excited about the promotion, she will miss Nicely.
"I'm kind of saddened that (Nicely) is leaving," she said. "I'm going to miss her very much."
Nicely echoed that sentiment, but said it is time to go.
"It took me about three years," she said of deciding to retire.
"The young lady that is going to be my successor, I love her. She has experience," Nicely said. "I feel very confident with leaving it in her hands. You want to leave on a high note."
She offered some final words for the incoming executive director.
"It's your baby now, take good care of it," Nicely said.
For more information about the organization, visit www.lehighcommunityservices.com.
Lehigh Community Services is at 201 Plaza Drive, Suite 3.
Trick or treat party setAPPLE CREEK -- A community Trick or Treat party is being hosted by the Apple Creek United Methodist Church at Mayer-Carson Hall on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. Apple Creek trick or treat begins at 4 p.m.At the church, there will be prizes for the following activities/contests: Costume contest; pumpkin...
Youngsters enjoying a funday organised by the Posh Foundation.
BGL Group and Peterborough United have announced that they will be extending their partnership to 2020.
The Group, based at Orton Southgate, is a leading digital distributor of insurance and financial services to over 8 million customers and owns brands such as comparethemarket.com, Beagle Street, Budget Insurance and Dial Direct.
Over the last three years BGL Group has partnered with Posh, initially as headline sponsor of the club’s Foundation and last year becoming the official sponsor for the first team’s shorts too.
The Posh Foundation focuses on increasing the health, sports participation, education and social inclusion of young people in the community.
Meg Harrington, sponsorship manager, BGL Group, commented: “We’re delighted to announce that we’re extending our partnership with Peterborough United FC to 2020, sponsoring the first team’s shorts and the Foundation.
“As headline sponsor of the Foundation for the last three years we’ve been impressed with the club’s commitment to grassroots sport in the community and we’re looking forward to further developing the programme together over the next three years.
“As one of the biggest employers in the Peterborough area we have a wealth of supporters among our employees which makes our connection with the Posh that bit more personal.
The Dolphins had everything to play for then. Those long-ago Bills and Jets had very much less to play for. And yet, those Dolphins failed.
That does not matter now. Those Dolphins are gone. Those Bills are gone.
Amazingly ... these Dolphins might not be quite as good individually.
But they’re better as a team.
That is why despite injuries, despite doubts, despite an early season 1-4 record, these Dolphins are on the precipice of a playoff berth.
Think of it: If the Dolphins win on Saturday, the Denver Broncos would have to win both their final games and hope the Dolphins lose their finale to sneak into the playoffs ahead of Miami. And the Broncos play 10-4 Kansas City and then 11-3 Oakland the final two weeks.
So Saturday could be something of a knockdown if not knockout blow for Denver if the Dolphins win.
The mood around the Dolphins this week is supposed to be just like last week’s. And the week before and the week before that. Coach Adam Gase and his staff will try to set that mood Tuesday morning when players report for work.
But Monday the tone around the building was, well, anticipatory. Let’s just say folks are aware the stakes this Saturday. It wasn’t a just-like-any-other-game kind of vibe.
Everyone knows the stakes and everyone knows this will be an uphill climb. Why?
Because the Bills are good. Very good.
No one in Miami is fooled by that team’s 7-7 record. No one is fooled by the 28-25 victory Miami got over Buffalo in October.
That team the Dolphins beat has gotten better.
That team didn’t have receivers Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods or defensive lineman Marcel Dareus or linebacker Shaq Lawson. None of those players saw action against the Dolphins the first game.
And while running back LeSean McCoy did play that game, he came into the game with a hamstring injury and re-aggravated the injury before the first half was over. McCoy averages anywhere from 18-20 carries a game. He had eight carries for 11 yards against the Dolphins that day.
The McCoy who will play Miami on Saturday is healthy, barring something unforeseen in the next few days. He’s had three 100-plus-yard performances in the last four games.
Yes, these Bills are better than they were.
They won’t have starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. He is out again this weekend. (It would be no surprise if he doesn’t play again until the 2017 season).
Matt Moore is Miami’s starter now and, no, that isn’t a disaster for the Dolphins. The last time the Dolphins won in Buffalo was 2011. Moore was Miami’s quarterback in that game. Indeed, Moore helped the Dolphins sweep the Bills in ‘11.
So this isn’t new for him.
But all that being said, he’s not the Dolphins first-string quarterback.
The Dolphins also don’t have their starting center. Mike Pouncey played in that first game against Buffalo this year. And so did Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones. Both are on injured reserve now.
The Pouncey injury continues to sting. With Pouncey in the lineup, Jay Ajayi shredded the Bills for 214 on 28 carries. Without Pouncey, Ajayi has been very much less effective.
Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins running back, has back-to-back 200-yard games to join an elite class of three other NFL running backs.
So where was I before news got in the way of this column?
Ah yes, what I’m telling you is the Dolphins on Saturday will be without Tannehill, Jones, and Pouncey -- all of whom played the first game against Buffalo. And the Bills will have Watkins, Woods, Lawson, and Dareus -- none of whom played the first game against Miami.
Yes, that is cause for concern.
With all that said, these Dolphins have a belief in themselves that those late October Dolphins lacked.
This team has grown the past two months. They know each other better now. The coaches know the players better. The players know the schemes better.
This team has been tested. It has won on defense against San Diego. It has won on special teams in the first game against the New York Jets. It won with timely offense against late in the game against Los Angeles. Last week, this team won on the road with a backup quarterback.
These Dolphins have won eight of nine games. So they feel good about themselves. They think they’re good enough to win.
In a few days we’ll see if they’re good enough to win the biggest game this franchise has played in years.
, . ...;; y' >-.". .. - . ,\ ! J '",,-:._:k <<,> \ " ,} PRESENTING THE CAR DESIGNED FOR SPORT THE 1960 BY STUDEBAKER WHAT IS THE STUDEBAKER HAWK? It's as graceful as a figure skater as lithe as a racin,g sloop as lovely as a sprin,g day on the Green as zestful as a championship ten,nis match as eager as a fencer's foil...
The Anderson County Courthouse was evacuated Monday after someone called in a bomb threat.
Nikki Carson, a spokeswoman for the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, said word of the threat came in through a 911 call. She said an unidentified male made "a nonspecific threat to blow up a courthouse," so the courthouse in downtown Anderson was evacuated. Other courthouses in the county, including magistrate courts ...
The main courthouse on South Main Street in Anderson was evacuated shortly after 9 a.m. and officials were called in to sweep the area looking for explosives.
Courthouse employees were out of the building for less than an hour before officers determined there were no bombs inside.
No arrests have been made in the case. Carson said the Sheriff's Office is seeking phone records from AT&T to determine who made the threat.
This is the second bomb threat made against a courthouse in Anderson County this year.
Someone also called in a bomb threat about the main courthouse in March.
"I've been told someone called 911 and said, 'My daughter is supposed to be in court today, and she's not going back to jail,'" Clerk of Court Richard Shirley said about that previous case. "And that caller indicated that someone was going to blow the place up."
Employees were evacuated for about an hour in that case, too, until bomb-sniffing dogs determined there were no explosives in the building.
No arrests were ever made in the March case, either.
WARWICKSHIRE’S seamers seized a long-awaited chance to operate in helpful conditions by hurrying their side to the brink of victory on the third day against Worcestershire.
The Bears’ bowlers have spent much of the season plugging away on pitches that batsmen would like to carry round with them.
At New Road, however, they found a responsive track and took 16 wickets in a day to leave Ian Westwood’s side within sight of their first championship win.
Neil Carter and Chris Woakes started the ball rolling, sharing seven wickets in a helter-skelter morning session.
From eight for one in the ninth over, the home side sprinted to 69 for one in the 18th then lost seven wickets for 19 runs in 70 balls to take lunch at 88 for eight.
Carter claimed four wickets and Woakes three and both soon added another after the interval as Worcestershire were all out for 111.
Needing 198 to avoid an innings defeat, the home side found some pluck second time round, reaching 140 for one.

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