Canadian Hockey League Sued for Unpaid Wages

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is being sued by former players for $180 million in outstanding wages. The CHL employs major junior hockey players ranging in ages between 15 and 20. 

According to the allegations, the CHL paid thousands of young players as little as $30 a week for time spent training, practicing, playing, and traveling.

The CHL claims that players are independent contractors or interns and are therefore exempt from being paid minimum wage. If CHL wins the lawsuit, they will be able to continue paying players $30 to $50 a week. If not, CHL will have to pay players in accordance with minimum wage laws. 

While CHL, a for-profit organization continues to rake in hundred of millions of dollars annually, they fail to redistribute that wealth to their players. Instead, they have increased scholarships and mentoring programs for the players. Unsurprisingly, the players find this type of “compensation” insufficient. 

Considering this case, do you think the players are indeed interns or do you think they are employees and should be compensated as such? Read about a similar unpaid wages claim here. 

*image by Enea Pestelacci, Flickr