[ Nick, this might make you sad. LOL ]

From: https://www.actorsequity.org/news/PR/StarGarden/

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ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION TO UNIONIZE STRIPPERS AT STAR GARDEN

Los Angeles - A majority of the dancers employed at the Star Garden
Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood today filed a petition for a union
recognition election with the National Labor Relations Board. If the
dancers win their election and the results are certified by the NLRB, the
Star Garden workers will become the only strippers in the United States
represented by a union. The bargaining unit will be affiliated with
Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing more
than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers employed in live
theatre.

This is a first for Equity, a union with more than a century of history.
Equity is affiliated with the AFL-CIO and renowned for representing actors
and stage managers on Broadway; in Los Angeles at theatres such as the
Pantages; as well as in dozens of smaller theatres across Southern
California; on stages at Walt Disney World in Orlando; and prominent
regional theatres across the country such as the Guthrie in Minneapolis
and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

"Strippers are live entertainers, and while some aspects of their job are
unique, they have much in common with other Equity members who dance for a
living," said Actors' Equity Association President Kate Shindle. "In my
conversations with them, these dancers reported consistent compensation
issues -- including significant wage theft -- along with health and safety
risks and violations. They want health insurance and other benefits, like
workers' compensation. They need protection from sexual harassment,
discrimination and unjust terminations. Equity is well situated to
advocate for these workers, and we are excited to welcome them into the
labor movement at this extraordinary time. We applaud their efforts to
seize their collective power and unionize, like so many others across the
country who are fed up with toxic workplaces. When they approached us for
support, we did what unions should do: we said yes."

The spark that ignited the unionization campaign was lit in March, when
the club's security guards repeatedly failed to protect dancers from
threatening and abusive behavior from patrons. Dancers at Star Garden,
with the assistance of Strippers United, a 501(c)3 organization led by
strippers that advocates for strippers' rights, began picketing outside
the strip club to protest unsafe working conditions.

"We like what we do," said Velveeta, a Star Garden dancer. "We would like
our jobs even more if we had basic worker protections. We're like so many
other workers who have learned that it's not a choice between suffering
abuse or quitting. With a union, together, we can make needed improvements
to our workplace."

Following today's filing, the next step will be for the NLRB to schedule
an election date for the roughly 30 Star Garden dancers eligible to vote.
Once the NLRB certifies that a majority of those voting have elected
Equity as their bargaining representative, the newly unionized strippers
will begin negotiating their first contract with Star Garden's management.
In the meantime, informational picketing and a public information campaign
to engage Star Garden's patrons will continue.

A rally in support of Star Garden's dancers has been scheduled for this
Friday, August 19, at 6:30 p.m., outside Equity's offices, 5636 Tujunga
Avenue in North Hollywood. Following the rally, Shindle and Equity members
will join Star Garden's dancers on the picket line at Star Garden Topless
Dive Bar, 6630 Lankershim Blvd., in North Hollywood.

Star Garden's dancers are not the first strippers to seek union
recognition. Strippers at San Francisco's Lusty Lady organized the Exotic
Dancers Union in 1996. They were affiliated with the Service Employees
International Union. The Lusty Lady closed in 2013.

"Strippers United stands in solidarity with the Star Garden dancers as
they partner with Equity to form the first stripper union in over 25
years," the strippers' advocacy group said in a statement. "We are excited
and proud to see this next step take place, and Strippers United will be
in close connection with these fierce workers as their journey continues
on."

For more information about Actors' Equity Association please visit:
www.actorsequity.org. For anyone who works on the live stage as an actor,
stage manager, or stripper and is interested in organizing a union please
see www.actorsequity.org/organize to begin a conversation with an Equity
organizer.

ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that
represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity
endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages,
improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits
(health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org
#EquityWorks

August 17, 2022

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