It Pays to Organize!

The San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, April 11, 1997

S.F. Strip Club Ratifies Union -- First in U.S.

It's another first for San Francisco -- the nation's only organized strippers. After a long and acrimonious campaign, the exotic dancers of the Lusty Lady peep show club have announced the ratification of a union contract.

Stephanie Batey, a field representative for Local 790 of the Service Employees International Union, announced the news at a press conference Wednesday. About 100 strippers, bouncers, cashiers and janitors voted ``overwhelmingly'' to ratify the one-year contract, which provides a guaranteed pay scale and job security, among other benefits, Batey said.

``It's a fantastic victory,'' said Batey. ``It was hard-fought -- management was resisting all the way, and the odds were against us. Normally, workers who vote to organize only win contracts about half the time in their first attempt.''

Club managers could not be reached for comment.

The Lusty Lady strippers garnered international attention last year when they announced their intentions to organize. Despite the publicity, their chances for a contract at first seemed slim. The skin trade is not known as a hotbed of union activism.

Batey credits the ``militant, young strippers'' at the Lusty Lady for the union's victory.

``They're tough, and they don't like injustice,'' she said. ``They were willing to stick it out. . . . Management locked them out for two days and fired one of them, but they hung in there.''

Batey acknowledges the contract is not lavish, but characterized it as ``a foot in the door.''

Strippers now have formal grievance procedures and binding arbitration; a wage scale ranging from $12 to $25 an hour, with hourly one dollar raises every four weeks up to the maximum of $25 per hour; job protection; protection from arbitrary discipline; and a sick day and one holiday a year.

Management also removed one-way mirrors from the peep booths, which the strippers detested because clients took unauthorized photographs and videos, some of which were later distributed on the Internet.

Support staffers at the club also receive medical and dental care and four extra holidays a year, but the strippers don't.

``We tried to find a medical provider that would cover the strippers, but they only work between 12 to 14 hours a week,'' Batey said. ``Nobody would cover them for such a short work week.''

Batey said she has been receiving calls from strippers all over the country.

``They're jamming our switchboard,'' she said. ``Locally, the Exotic Dancers Alliance is interested in helping to organize other clubs. Women have called from Texas, Kansas, Massachusetts and Southern California.''

While Lusty Lady managers may not be thrilled with the club's now historic status, Batey implied they might as well enjoy it.

``I hear they're getting swamped with applications from women who feel that a union club is the best place to work -- which it is, of course,'' Batey said. ``Besides, look at all the publicity they're getting -- and where strip clubs are concerned, any publicity is good publicity.''