Look for the Union Label
The Lusty Lady in San Francisco was the first unionized strip joint. Now the dancers have bought the club and it’s the first worker-owned strip joint co-op .
The dancers joined the Service Employees union in 1995. For the most part, they got along with management. A couple of years ago, management decreased their hourly wages, citing reduced profits, and the dancers agreed. Late last year, as they were renegotiating the contract, they demanded that the cuts be restored.
Labor and management reached an agreement on the contract in January. A month later, they received notice that the club would close. That’s when the dancers started to consider the idea of buying the club, and making it employee-owned.
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