Topless dancers in Los Angeles set to become only unionized strippers in U.S.
Dancers at a bar in Los Angeles are poised to become the only organized group of strippers in the United States after their employer agreed to recognize their union, marking the culmination of a 15-month effort that is a victory for long-marginalized adult-entertainment workers across the nation.
The dancers, who perform at the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood, will be represented by the Actors' Equity Association, whose membership of 51,000 includes employees on Broadway and at Walt Disney World. They held an election to unionize last year, but official results were delayed after the bar owners objected to the vote and took legal action. The National Labor Relations Board is expected to officially tally votes this week, organizers said Tuesday.
The performers said unionization would allow them to advocate for better protections against possible sexual harassment and wage theft. "Strippers who want to unionize their workplaces and have a voice in the way their clubs are run now have a clear path forward," Lilith, a Star Garden dancer who was only identified by one name, said in a statement.
An Ruda, a lawyer representing management at Star Garden, said in an emailed statement that the club "is committed to negotiating in good faith with Actors' Equity a first of its kind collective bargaining agreement which is fair to all parties."
The dancers' unionization efforts are part of a reinvigorated workers' rights movement in the United States, which has led to organized labor at Starbucks and Apple stores, and has even seen graduate students unionizing. Researchers say adult-entertainment employees often face stigma because of the nature of their work, as well as unsafe working conditions, while struggling to achieve comparable rights to employees in other industries.
Rosemarie Molina, an organizer who has lectured at the University of California at Los Angeles, said in an email that a lack of oversight or enforcement at strip clubs "leaves workers vulnerable." But the dancers at Star Garden have "created a new standard for respect and dignity in the industry."
The Star Garden dancers' effort follows in the footsteps of strippers at San Francisco's Lusty Lady, who organized the Exotic Dancers Union in 1997. (The club closed in 2013.)
In recent years, erotic dancers have slowly earned more rights. In 2018, a California Supreme Court decision extended employee protections to strippers - most of whom had been classified by their clubs as independent contractors - giving them rights to a minimum wage, Social Security and overtime protections, as well as unionization. (A 2019 report from the University of Minnesota argued that "simply gaining inclusion in the legal category of employee has not resulted in better pay or working conditions" for erotic dancers in California.)
Dancers at Star Garden began organizing in March 2022, when they accused the club's management of failing to protect them from abusive behavior by customers. Star Garden was alleged to have fired three dancers and barred 15 from entering the club for raising concerns about safety - a move that the National Labor Relations Board said violated labor laws, according to the Los Angeles Times.
For months, the dancers, supported by the Strippers United advocacy group, picketed outside the club. They announced that they wanted to join up with the Actors' Equity Association in August.
As a part of the recent settlement that includes recognition of the union, Star Garden will reopen and reinstate the dancers who were dismissed. The club will also seek to dismiss a bankruptcy case it filed in December, the club's lawyers said.
Velveeta, a dancer, said in a statement that she is looking forward to working with the club owners to rebuild Star Garden "into a thriving, inclusive business with a healthy work environment that serves the community."
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