Those seeking exotic entertainment in Montreal during F1’s Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday are in for a rude awakening.
The strippers of Montreal are planning a strike ahead of the race, which is also one of the busiest weekends of the year, as part of their bid to become salaried workers, the Montreal Gazette reports.
Similar to exotic dancers in other parts of the world, strippers in Montreal make the majority of their money from tips. Now, the city’s strippers want not only a salary. But all the protections and benefits afforded to salaried employees in other parts of Canada.
“It happens to every worker every year that we’ll go home and find ourselves in the red,” said Celeste Ivy, a Montreal-based stripper.
“Since we’re not salaried employees, we don’t have access to the protections that other workers usually have.”
The walkout is being organized by a group called CATS, the Comité autonome du travail du sexe. Among the organization’s demands are sick leave, safer working conditions, and other enhanced benefits.
“This is the first time that we’re being vocal about our concerns,” Ivy explained. “We want to be heard. We want our work to be recognized as work.”
The timing of the walkout is no accident.
According to Forbes, the annual F1 event is worth between $ 50 million and $90 million to the city. The dancers are betting that withholding their services from the city’s bars will significantly reduce that number and prompt officials to heed their demands.
“If they decide to walk out, the bosses will freak out,” says former stripper Francine Tremblay.
The Canadian Grand Prix begins on Friday, May 22, and wraps up on Sunday, May 24.