Ex-mascot for Yanks' minor league team sues club

SCRANTON, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man who worked as the mascot for a New York Yankees minor league team claims his former employer violated worker protection laws.

Brian Bonner was laid off last month from his job as Champ. He's suing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, claiming they improperly classified him as a manager to avoid paying him overtime.

In the suit filed Wednesday in federal court in Scranton, Bonner claims he could work more than 80 hours a week in a job that paid about $22,000 per year. The suit says his title was "marketing and community relations manager" but he performed no supervisory tasks in addition to his mascot and community relations duties.

A team spokesman did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.