Dancers at a Los Angeles bar could soon become the only unionized group of strippers in the U.S., after a long fight. Via the Associated Press:
The Actors’ Equity Association labor union says owners of the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood have withdrawn their opposition and agreed to recognize the strippers’ union.
For 15 months, dancers at the club have sought safer workplace conditions, better pay and health insurance, among other benefits. But their unionization drive was stalled by objections and legal challenges from the club’s management.
The union announced this week that management had agreed to a settlement. A formal vote count by the National Labor Relations Board has been set for Thursday.
This isn’t a joke. Strippers have some unsafe working conditions:
Lilith recalled a handful of instances that made her and other dancers feel unsafe while working — including a lack of adequate protection from sexual harassment and assault often faced by dancers. Star Garden management told dancers that they couldn’t go directly to security when they felt unsafe, Lilith said — noting that they were instead instructed to go to management, who would decide “if it was a severe enough instance for security to intervene.”
Customers were also allowed to stay in the bar after closing, which made the dancers feel unsafe because patrons could see them dressed “out of our stripper personas” and identify which cars they drove when they went home, she said. According to Lilith, one dancer was fired for bringing up her concerns about this to management. Another dancer was fired for intervening when she noticed a customer filming a coworker on stage without her consent, she added.
