Deja vu club shave12/19/2023 ![]() ![]() They also must tip out a chunk of their wages to various members of the club’s staff, who, in many cases, are paid a wage. ![]() On top of that, they generally also require dancers to pay a fee to work in the club, which can range anywhere from $20 up to $200. As noted above, most American clubs don’t pay dancers a wage, yet they still require these workers to show up for eight hour shifts a few days a week. ![]() One of the biggest issues with misclassification is a dancer’s lost wages. There are good reasons why strippers would want to fight for their employee classification. Instead, they present their workers with a “choice”, much like the one that was given to me, in order to avoid lawsuits. However, most clubs have not changed how they treat their dancers. In the past, to correct this misclassification, plenty of strippers have sued clubs, and in many cases, have won. Since then, American strip clubs have habitually misclassified dancers as independent contractors to avoid paying unemployment benefits, workers compensation, and related taxes. ![]() The practice of labeling dancers as contractors but still treating them like employees began back in the 1980s when the Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Street Theatre in San Francisco stopped paying dancers a wage and charged fees to work instead. LeRoy confirms this in a 2017 study, where he found that in nearly every federal and state ruling on misclassification of dancers, judges have determined that strippers do indeed qualify as employees. All of these factors signify an employee relationship. If you’re treated like an employee, then you are an employee.”Īlthough the degree of control exerted by clubs varies, managers generally dictate a great deal about strippers’ working conditions, such as their hours, clothing, stage sets, how much money they can charge for dances, and sometimes even whether they can work in other clubs. A board member for The Adult Entertainment Union, Bob Maschi, confirmed this distinction: “It’s not the dancer’s choice to be an independent contractor or employee. Moreover, based on how the IRS website details the difference between these two categories, the choice of whether a worker is classified as an employee or a contractor is determined by the employer - not the other way around. Employees, on the other hand, have less control over their labor, yet are guaranteed a minimum wage, worker’s compensation, unemployment benefits, and the right to unionize. In exchange, they have no job security nor benefits, but can work for various companies and set their own hours. According to the IRS, independent contractors control how they perform their jobs. On the one hand, it seems that strippers would significantly benefit from proper classification however, a closer examination reveals that the question of whether or not they should fight for their labor rights is more complex than it seems.Īlthough there is still some debate around the classification of strippers in the United States, evidence points to employee status. Most authorities on the matter tend to agree that strippers in the United States should be considered employees, but clubs, for a variety of reasons, often mislead dancers into thinking the decision is up to them. But, as I later learned, this “choice” was deceptive. When he put it like that, the choice seemed obvious. When you’re an employee, we’ll take the profits from your dances and pay you a minimum wage, just like we would if you were a bartender selling drinks,” he explained. “When you’re an independent contractor, you pay a fee to rent the space and get to keep your profits. He leaned over the desk and pointed at two columns: “Here’s where you decide if you want to be an independent contractor or employee.” When I got to the last page, about employment classification, his demeanor changed. I tried to appear nonchalant as I flipped through the lengthy packet, but he could see that I was a little overwhelmed, so he casually outlined the rules of the strip club where I was about to start working as I read them over. Sitting down on a leather chair in front of a cluttered desk in downtown Philadelphia, a suited man handed me a stack of papers that detailed how much I could charge for a lap dance, what time I had to show up to the club, and how I needed to be shaved, primped, and dressed. ![]()
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