California dancers starting union.

avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
Atlanta suburb
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/oti…

38 comments

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avatar for shailynn
shailynn
3 years ago
Hmmm Amazon and Starbucks workers can't seem to get it done, wonder if these women will be able to do it?
avatar for nicespice
nicespice
3 years ago
Ooh fun, well if it’s on buzz feed they are gaining a bit more traction
avatar for Icee Loco (asshole)
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
All power to them
avatar for rickdugan
rickdugan
3 years ago
Goodbye Star Gardens.
avatar for motorhead
motorhead
3 years ago
My very unscientific poll indicates that most dancers prefer being independent contractors over employees. So unionization across most clubs in the US is very unlikely
avatar for Subraman
Subraman
3 years ago
Every story loves to mention the Lusty Lady, just not its long slow painful demise, although it was definitely a special case in that the dancers took over management of it, and that worked out as well as you'd expect.
avatar for ilbbaicnl
ilbbaicnl
3 years ago
I don't see how a union can work well among salespeople who compete for the same set of clients.

In an Illinois club, a black dancer got the manager on tape calling her a nigger. She dimed him out with the state Labor Dept., and they stepped up. They talked to many dancers there, investigated their complaints, and forced the club to pay large (5 figures plus) settlements to the dancers. It would go a long way if dancers simply got the level of legal protection they are already supposed to get. They probably need more resources allocated to enforcing their rights, given that they are more targeted by bad actors than most occupations.
avatar for Call.Me.Ishmael
Call.Me.Ishmael
3 years ago
All I want is for the customers to also form a union and then be a fly on the wall during negotiations between the two.
avatar for Call.Me.Ishmael
Call.Me.Ishmael
3 years ago
"Negotiations are paused while mediators find common ground on Section 9, Part C, Subsection II, titled 'Billy Joel'".
avatar for Icee Loco (asshole)
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
A union will give girls a united voice when it comes to working conditions. Standing up to management. Helping get prostitution out of clubs. Etc
avatar for PinkSugarDoll
PinkSugarDoll
3 years ago
Dancers in California are being taken advantage of. It is Deja Vu’s fault, and a judge who got to decide didn’t give a fuck about dancers and really screwed them over. The way the clubs “obey” the decision is like a loophole.

I hope these girls get organized and fuck the shit out of those clubs.
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gammanu95
3 years ago
I don't think a union is the right answer, but maybe a Dancer's Guild?
avatar for skibum609
skibum609
3 years ago
Unionizing could also increase costs, which happened in Massachusetts when dancers banded together and became employees getting minimum wage + tips instead of 1099 self-employed getting tips. It was quite a financial boon; to Rhode Island.
avatar for drewcareypnw
drewcareypnw
3 years ago
@ilb:“ I don't see how a union can work well among salespeople who compete for the same set of clients.”

I agree. Strippers aren’t exactly bastions of solidarity to begin with. Though I am aware that French prostitutes have a union that goes on strike from time to time. I’ve even seen them picketing. Not sure how effective that is.
avatar for ilbbaicnl
ilbbaicnl
3 years ago
@drew I don't think the stripper aspect has much relevance. Could you see the salespeople at a car dealership starting a union, in the sense we usually think of one? They might form some sort association to force better working conditions. But, bargain collectively for better pay? I think it would only be in limited ways, like a smaller club cut from dances. Benefits won't be appealing generally, most clubs can't give significant benefits without it coming straight out of the dancers' hides. Dancers with hustle I don't think are interested in getting in a fight for what dancers get by just showing up.
avatar for twentyfive
twentyfive
3 years ago
The only dancers that will benefit from a union are the lazy no hustle types that sit on their phones and the dancers at the end of their career looking for one last payday before sailing off into the sunset
avatar for Icee Loco (asshole)
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
You're just saying you're anti union coz it gives girls leverage at work and they'll be less likely to have to fuck you for cash. Bitch about prices going up coz of unions but have no problem with increasing prices coz of club owners greed.
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
3 years ago
We have had Erotic Dancers Alliance for decades. But that is a guild, not a union.

Well there are laws about how to form unions. I think it unlikely. But there was Lusty Lady, a worker owned club of the behind glass type.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/oti…

SJG

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avatar for motorhead
motorhead
3 years ago
As of now, the NLRB says independent contractors cannot unionize so one cannot have the Union discussion without first addressing independent contractor status.

I was a regular at a club where a dancer sued the club so she was offered regular employment status. And in her job description, as is typical, it said “and other duties as assigned”

So after dancing her first night as an employee, she was handed a mop and told to clean the restrooms.

Dancers - just be careful what you ask for.
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
3 years ago
^ because of CA AB-5 if they are for your regular business and you "suffer them to be on your premises" they are employees. Strip clubs which have not heeded this are waiting for law suits.

No more contractor status for strip clubs.

This is another reason why we need to go to the Membership Club Private Party Model.

SJG

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bluejacketsguy
3 years ago
There is no such thing as a union that goes across all companies. Yes there are several national type unions that have local branches but each and every company has to be put under a contract specific for them. It goes something like: hey you want to join a union?, if enough interest is shown its put to a formal vote by the affected employees and if its greater than 50% ok you are now a bargaining unit, several years later here's the proposed contract (which is probably not worth the paper its printed on) and this is only for actual employees btw, independent contractors are not employees(of said company).
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
3 years ago
Well, it is unlikely that this union will form. But if they are trying to keep the women as contractors, in this state, the club is already outside of the law.

SJG

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avatar for Icee Loco (asshole)
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
Independent contractors are covered under collective bargaining laws though.

Its misogynistic to not want dancers to have the rights afforded by unions.
avatar for twentyfive
twentyfive
3 years ago
Listen up Iceefag I have actual experience with unions and guess what I don’t need to pay any women to fuck me, you don’t knew the first thing about any of the topics you talk about if you wanted to learn it would be different, but you forget the fundamental truth, god gave you two ears and one mouth so you should listen twice as much as you speak, but you I turned that upside down, you should shut the fuck up moron you are truly stupid.
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
3 years ago
Suspenda the sentence. SUSPENDA THE SENTENCE! They walked free that very day. Those animales were smiling at me.

So I told my wife, "For justice we have to go to Don Corleone."

SJG
avatar for Icee Loco (asshole)
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
I actually care about dancers welfare and lives. Youre all posting from the perspective of identifying with club owners rather than dancers and just being concerned about cheap hookers working clubs
avatar for Dave_Anderson
Dave_Anderson
3 years ago
Private businesses can do whatever they want according to today's liberals. The private businesses should can these ridiculous dancers. Get a job in the real world honeys.
avatar for PinkSugarDoll
PinkSugarDoll
3 years ago
The dancers didn’t ask for it.

Ex dancers have filed lawsuits in many states to get a hand out after they have retired from dancing. It unfortunately affects actual dancers. Dancers do not want this and it’s not our fault.
avatar for skibum609
skibum609
3 years ago
Josef Icee Mengele cares about them lol. Misogynistic is a word designed to frighten Icee assigned male at birth. No real person cares what a faggot progressive says. By the way stupid independent contractors nowhere are covered by collective bargaining laws. Get a job you fucking leech.
avatar for Icee Loco (asshole)
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
It's dancers fighting for these rights.

It amazes me when some people go against their self interest though.
avatar for crazyjoe
crazyjoe
3 years ago
"So after dancing her first night as an employee, she was handed a mop and told to clean the restrooms."

Lol. You ask and you shall receive
avatar for crazyjoe
crazyjoe
3 years ago
As far as I am concerned union's are outdated. They were needed 100 to 150 years ago when factories ran sweatshop style. Now that is not the case. If you are being taken advantage of, go work somewhere else. Eventually bad employers get the message when they can't keep help.

Some instances unions makes sense like in construction. There can be gaps in work and with a union, you can get to work for another union company during times your company is out of work.
avatar for MackTruck
MackTruck
3 years ago
God bless da dancers!!!
avatar for DeclineToState
DeclineToState
3 years ago
->@PinkSugarDoll: "Ex dancers have filed lawsuits in many states to get a hand out after they have retired from dancing. It unfortunately affects actual dancers. Dancers do not want this and it’s not our fault."

PSD is spot on here. The lawsuits (at least in Calif) challenging dancer IC status and seeking to get back wages and penalties on grounds dancers should have been classified as employees have all been by ex dancers seeking to cash after hanging up the heels.

The change in Calif law re proper IC classification was imposed by Calif Supreme Court. Supermajority of SCs then switched dancers to employees - they hate it, and income went down. There's a few clubs in Calif that stuck with IC classification (such as Gold Club Centerfolds in Rancho Cordova) and I say hooray for those clubs and dancers.
avatar for DeclineToState
DeclineToState
3 years ago
^The one plus was that when Covid hit, dancers in Calif classified as employees then got to collect unemployment benefits, which was nearly $1K per week, so good for them
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
3 years ago
Need to move to the Private Party / Membership Club model. That solves all of these problems.

SJG

Sex Slave Uni
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avatar for Icee Loco (asshole)
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
Dancers made more after being employees. Even in clubs that rip them off. They saved on tipout and house fees since yhe money was re circulated through the club.

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