Several dancers in North Hollywood, California, returned to work Thursday after becoming the only unionized group of strippers in the country.
Star Garden Topless Dive Bar reopened after shutting down when its strippers walked away from their jobs over a year ago, ABC 7 reported Friday.
Now, the strippers are members of the Actors’ Equity Association labor union.
“Just what it represents for the possibilities of changing the industry for the better and really having some power in the workplace,” a dancer identified as Velveeta told Fox 11:
The strippers initially decided to leave their jobs at the establishment due to issues with management. They were worried about patrons abusing them and had safety concerns they claimed management failed to address.
While the club was shut down, it filed for bankruptcy as management and lawyers negotiated with the strippers and their union, Fox 11 reported in May:
“Star Garden agreed to recognize the union and meet at the bargaining table. For now, the strippers will work under an interim agreement,” the ABC 7 report noted.
One stripper named Lilith said the group was on strike for about 15 months. “So we’ve been out of work for 17 months,” she explained.
“We saw our fellow coworkers being in situations where they felt unsafe, and when they brought it to management, they were fired in retaliation. And we knew that we could never speak up if we felt unsafe, and that felt unacceptable,” she added.
Images show the strippers gathered for the reopening:
Thanks to #tommorello for joining the workers at Star Garden as it re-opens after an 18-month strike and unionization…
Posted by Ohio AFL-CIO on Friday, August 25, 2023
It is important to note that strip clubs are often hubs for human sex trafficking, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
“Women, men, and minors may be recruited to work in strip clubs as hostesses, servers or dancers, but then are required to provide commercial sex to customers,” the site reads, continuing:
Strip clubs are designed to provide the space and environment in which buyers may purchase commercial sex. Victims of sex trafficking in strip clubs must adhere to extensive, pre-determined schedules and are frequently moved between multiple clubs. Commercial sex sometimes takes place in the bathroom, VIP, or lap dance rooms, or offsite in hotels or buyer’s homes.
“Victims of sex trafficking in strip clubs may be women, men, or minors, though it is more common for females to be induced into commercial sex in this venue,” the hotline notes.