Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood is expected to negotiate with a union of strippers who were fired from the club in March of 2022. They were dismissed because they were picketing the club while protesting unsafe working conditions. The club has since filed for bankruptcy, due to lack of employees.
Club owners are expected to meet with the dancers, who are being represented by the Actor’s Equity Association, later this week. The parties have 30 days to establish a contract. Reportedly, the dancers who were ousted last year during the protest have been ‘welcomed back.’ If all goes well with contract negotiations, Star Garden hopes to reopen their doors within 30-60 days.
“Strippers are live entertainers. While some elements of their job are unique, they are essentially performance artists, and have a lot in common with other Equity members who dance for a living,” Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle said. “Every worker who wants a union deserves a union. The Star Garden dancers have been absolute warriors throughout this long process, and I’m thrilled that we’ve won recognition of their rights to safety and democracy in the workplace and representation at the bargaining table.”
The dancers from Star Garden will be the first strippers union in a decade in California. The last was created by performers at the legendary Lusty Lady in San Francisco, which unfortunately closed in 2013.
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