When strippers in NYC went on strike last November, no one could have predicted the ripple effect it would have on the stripping community internationally. With the support of major names in the industry such as and , the movement quickly gained traction on Instagram, spreading it far beyond the NYC scene.
At the core of the strike was a dispute between dancers and “bottle girls”— Instagram famous models/bartenders brought in by club promoters—who were allegedly stealing money from dancers—and I don’t mean that figuratively. There have been hundreds of videos posted to that show bottle girls swiping money off the stage while dancers are performing, leaving next to nothing for the dancers.
While the presence of this new breed of bartender is what sparked the strike, it is underpinned by something more insidious and far-reaching — management not providing functional work environments for dancers. It’s these issues that can be felt universally in the stripping community.
In Australia, strip clubs have been enduring their “dry season”—the period between New Years and late February where clubs quieten after the buzz of Christmas. In this lull, the money to be made in clubs is minimal and pressure is placed on managers to retain dancers as seasonal dancers quit. This creates the perfect storm where tensions between dancers and management can rise.
, artist, and graphic designer who has worked in clubs in Brisbane and NYC, and says she has experienced this friction first-hand in her previous Brisbane club.
“I swapped clubs in the new year. Before that we had been accused [by upper management] of ‘stealing’, taking large tips and not putting them through as dances. Once those comments were made I knew this was no longer the place to ‘work’. And I put that word in quotations because I was hardly breaking even most nights, so for them to accuse us of doing those things was inconsiderate and disrespectful.”
Barnes-Roos says issues in the industry, particularly in Queensland, go a lot further than money. Some of the most troubling matters concern the contracts between dancers and clubs, which position dancers as employees rather than sole traders. While the contracts explicitly state that dancers are independent contractors - meaning they’re not being paid an employee wage, or receiving workers compensation - they are subject to rigid shifts, hours that are prescribed by the club and commission payments of 40-60% of lap dance earnings.
“Being sole traders, we should be able to come and go from the venue as we please, as we have already paid to rent the space, however with one particular venue, they had stupidly strict rules on the days we had to work,” explains Barnes-Roos.
In Melbourne it’s a different story. Dancers pay a house fee, but are not required to work set shifts, and do not pay a percentage of their lap dance earnings to the club. In some clubs, dancers are even able to set their own dance prices. The Victorian model resembles the level of autonomy independent contractors in most other industries experience, and frankly, is.
The relatively common practice of treating dancers as employees in Queensland could be attributed to the fact that the . In Queensland, a licenced controller must be employed by the club to supervise any lap dances. While this may explain the commission the club receives, it doesn’t justify the rigidity of rostering or the exorbitant fines incurred by dancers.
“In many cases the management are able to fine you any amount if you ask or need to leave early or start later,” Harley explains. “This is very unfair, as the amount can fluctuate and can be set without any reasoning. Some dancers were favoured by the management which made it quite unfair on the other dancers.”
Depending on the club, these fines can range from $50 up to $300, which may be a dancer’s entire nights earnings. With no union to act on behalf of dancers, this behaviour goes unregulated. This begs the question, is it time for a dancer’s union?
Well, the simple answer is yes.
“A union is definitely needed. The reason why I think we don’t already have one is because it still is quite a taboo line of work,” says Barnes-Roos.
Like most industries, workers in the stripping industry would benefit from a union, not just to help dancers negotiate working conditions, but also to help workers interpret industry-specific legislation.
The legislation surrounding stripping is, at best, convoluted, placing dancers in a position where their understanding of their legal rights and responsibilities are based almost solely on information provided by the clubs. In most states, the relevant legislation only defines what is not allowed in clubs, but these definitions are often split between each state’s respective liquor licensing legislation and sex work legislation. With laws differing state-to- state, this also makes it harder for Australian dancers to collectively fight for more fair treatment.
The idea of forming a dancers union isn’t unfeasible. Between 2004 and 2011 Australia did have a union to advocate on behalf of strippers; the Striptease Artist Alliance (STAA). Unfortunately, after achieving some pretty big wins — which included successfully getting overtime pay, as well as maternity leave for dancers — the in 2011 after failing to meet the basic reporting requirements.
After seven years without an active union, it is time to revisit this idea, because establishing a union would not only be a win for workers’ rights, but would also set a far more important ideological precedent, where people start considering those who work in the stripping profession as exactly that; professionals. But, for now, fairer working conditions are a good place to start.
