'Strippers are live entertainers. While some elements of their job are unique, they are essentially performance artists, and have a lot in common with other Equity members who dance for a living,' Actors' Equity Association President Kate Shindle said in a statement.
Dancers at Star Garden Topless Dive Bar voted unanimously to unionize with the Actors' Equity Association, which represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers nationally. Formal tabulation of the dancers' vote, which was conducted late last year, had been on hold due to opposition by the bar owners to the unionization effort."Strippers are live entertainers.
"Every worker who wants a union deserves a union. The Star Garden dancers have been absolute warriors throughout this long process, and I'm thrilled that we've won recognition of their rights to safety and democracy in the workplace and representation at the bargaining table." The roughly 30 dancers at Star Garden began picketing outside the club last year to protest alleged unsafe working conditions with the assistance of Strippers United, an organization that advocates for strippers' rights. The club's dancers said they were not adequately protected from threatening and abusive behavior by patrons.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
1st new strippers union in a decade likely to form this week in North HollywoodStrippers at Star Garden Topless Dive Bar on Lankershim Boulevard are expected to vote in favor of forming a union. They are slated to be represented by Actor’s Equity Association.
Read more »
Strippers at North Hollywood club set to form union after 15-month fightA North Hollywood strip club is set to become the only such venue in the country to employ unionized dancers.
Read more »
Johnny Depp: ‘I Don’t Feel Boycotted by Hollywood Because I Don’t Think About Hollywood’Johnny Depp made a rare public appearance at the Cannes press conference for “Jeanne du Barry,” a costume drama that opened the 76th film festival. The movie, in which he plays King Lou…
Read more »
North Hollywood’s Star Garden Bar Clears Way for Stripper Unionization With Actors’ EquityAttorneys for the club recently withdrew their challenges, so if the dancers vote in favor of unionization in a National Labor Relations ballot count this week, they will become the only unionized strippers in the U.S., per the union.
Read more »
Security guard shot with high-powered paintball gun during attempted robbery in North HollywoodA security guard is recovering after he was shot by a suspect with a high-powered paintball gun during an attempted robbery in North Hollywood, according to police.
Read more »
North Hollywood strippers become 1st in US to unionizeThe dancers at North Hollywood's Star Garden Topless Dive Bar will become the first strippers in the nation to unionize.
Read more »