Dancers at a topless bar in Los Angeles are expected to form the only unified group of strippers in the United States later this week, organizers said Tuesday.
The National Labor Relations Board approved a petition for the union’s recognition election in October, but the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar challenged the validity of certain voters, the Actors’ Equity Association said in a statement. Actors Equity said Tuesday the union has worked with the dancers for more than a year in their organizing efforts.
A resolution was reached and the challenges withdrawn, paving the way for the NLRB to certify the electoral vote, said a Ruda, a lawyer representing the bar.
“Star Garden is committed to negotiating in good faith with Actors Equity this first-of-its-kind collective bargaining agreement that is fair to all parties,” Ruda said in a statement.
The bar also filed for bankruptcy, but agreed to dismiss the bankruptcy case so Star Garden could reopen within 30-60 days of the dismissal, lawyers said. The bar will also bring back dancers who were fired last year, according to Actors’ Equity.
“It’s not just for these club dancers, but for the entire strip club industry,” said Lilith, a Star Garden dancer. “Strippers who want to consolidate their workplaces and have a voice in how their clubs are run now have a clear path ahead of them.”
Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
The fight for unionization began in March 2022 after bar security failed to protect dancers from “threatening and abusive behavior toward patrons,” according to the Actors’ Equity Association. Dancers have raised concerns about wage theft as well as health and safety. They said they were illegally fired for raising concerns with management. Star Garden strippers picketed outside the establishment several times as they fought to unionize.
“Every worker who wants a union deserves a union,” said Kate Shindle, president of the Actors’ Equity Association. “The Star Garden dancers have been absolute fighters throughout this long process, and I am thrilled that we have recognized the right to safety and democracy in the workplace and representation at the bargaining table.”
The NLRB will officially count the unionization vote Thursday, NPR reported, after a six-month delay.
Would the union be the only one of its kind in the country, the Star Garden dancers would not be the first group of strippers in the US to unionize. According to the Actors’ Equity Association, San Francisco’s Lusty Lady’s dancers joined in 1997, but the bar closed in 2013.
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Aliza Chasan