Dancers at the North Hollywood topless bar Star Garden have just made history as the only unionized strippers in the United States.
Per a news release from the Actors' Equity Association (AEA) shared on Tuesday, the dancers at the bar have gained union recognition following a 15-month battle against the venue's management. Lawyers representing the owners of the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar withdrew all election challenges, and have agreed to recognize the union. The management is set to meet with the AEA within the next 30 days to negotiate a contract.
The bar was previously found to have violated labor laws after firing three strippers who expressed concern over their health and safety, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. In a settlement, Star Garden will rehire the dancers who were dismissed last year and the bar will reopen for business.
"If you have been following our journey, then you know this has been a long, exhausting fight, which is why this victory is so sweet,” said Star Garden dancer Reagan. “We put everything we have into this campaign, and we were fortunate to have the support and solidarity from the club’s patrons, our allies and friends, the labor movement and our union, Actors’ Equity Association.”
The dancers at the club moved to form a union in August last year. “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 AEA President Kate Shindle at the time. Employees at the bar reported issues of health and safety violations, poor health benefits, sexual harassment, discrimination, unjust firings, and wage theft.
The move to unionize was sparked after security guards at the club failed to protect dancers from abusive customers. Joined by supporters, they protested outside of the bar. While the employees are the only unionized strippers in the United States, they aren't the first. From 1996 to 2013, the dancers at San Francisco's Lusty Lady formed a labor union.
