California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
The new system, at least the one Deja Vu is using, is absurd.
Deja Vu is making us pay ourselves our own minimum wage and income taxes out of our dance sales and if you don't make enough in dances to cover it, eventually you'll be terminated because THEY don't want to pay your legally owed wages. You will also be told to go home if you don't cover your minimum wage in the first 3 hours, which we all know is fucked up because some days you could make most or all of your wages in the last hour or two of your shift if it's slow. Their method for calculating paychecks is convoluted and confusing to EVERYONE. They refuse to break it down on pay stubs, you have to ask for individually printed daily wage reports. On top of it, your percentage from dances can vary from day to day, making it impossible to double check your paycheck yourself.
If anyone knows a labor/wage/tax law specialist in California, I know a lot of dancers who want questions answered.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Can you PM me please?
Also good luck.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kittykatSPANK
The new system, at least the one Deja Vu is using, is absurd.
Deja Vu is making us pay ourselves our own minimum wage and income taxes out of our dance sales and if you don't make enough in dances to cover it, eventually you'll be terminated because THEY don't want to pay your legally owed wages. You will also be told to go home if you don't cover your minimum wage in the first 3 hours, which we all know is fucked up because some days you could make most or all of your wages in the last hour or two of your shift if it's slow. Their method for calculating paychecks is convoluted and confusing to EVERYONE. They refuse to break it down on pay stubs, you have to ask for individually printed daily wage reports. On top of it, your percentage from dances can vary from day to day, making it impossible to double check your paycheck yourself.
If anyone knows a labor/wage/tax law specialist in California, I know a lot of dancers who want questions answered.
Lol I'm so sick of California. Nothing good comes out of living here. Feels fucked dealing with the BS rules here. One club I work at will fine you if you don't sell 5 sodas. I had to pay them 10 bucks last night because the waitress only sold 4 sodas for me and she would interrupt a dance to ask a customer for a soda for me. One Deja Vu used to do the same here with a 4 drink policy..... Excuse me, I'm not a waitress nor have I ever asked a customer for a drink. The fuck am I supposed to do with 5 large sodas in 5-6 hours? Waitress had the audacity to bring one of them over to me that I left behind. It's beginning to be too much here in Cali. I was also told to tip the dj 20 bucks after he was pissed I gave him 3 bucks last time and he called the manager on the phone annoyed at the tip saying he would let it slide. He probably makes more money than any dancer with all the tips he makes off of girls. Cheaper to not have him there and use the system Deja VU NH uses. Excuse my angry rant lol.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
indiegirl
Lol I'm so sick of California. Nothing good comes out of living here. Feels fucked dealing with the BS rules here. One club I work at will fine you if you don't sell 5 sodas. I had to pay them 10 bucks last night because the waitress only sold 4 sodas for me and she would interrupt a dance to ask a customer for a soda for me. One Deja Vu used to do the same here with a 4 drink policy..... Excuse me, I'm not a waitress nor have I ever asked a customer for a drink. The fuck am I supposed to do with 5 large sodas in 5-6 hours? Waitress had the audacity to bring one of them over to me that I left behind. It's beginning to be too much here in Cali. I was also told to tip the dj 20 bucks after he was pissed I gave him 3 bucks last time and he called the manager on the phone annoyed at the tip saying he would let it slide. He probably makes more money than any dancer with all the tips he makes off of girls. Cheaper to not have him there and use the system Deja VU NH uses. Excuse my angry rant lol.
Well, I'm stuck in California so I've got to deal with this or get a different, but similar job (cocktail waitressing maybe??). But I think fighting for dancers' rights is a more noble cause rather than letting everyone sit around and get screwed out of money. My club doesn't have a drink sales quota for dancers but you do get a bonus for having the guys buy you a $10 non-alcoholic beverage.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Ughhh this is really frustrating. I haven’t danced in ages I’m only working the door at a Deja Vu club and I feel so terrible for the girls since we were the first to implement the new policy (the Rhino is supposed to follow asap), a bunch of girls straight up quit and I’m literally sitting here at the front at 9:30 on a Friday night and we have NO GIRLS! I’ve turned away at least 15 customers telling them we have no girls clocked in, I’ve answered a dozen phone calls saying we have no girls, and things are just looking bleak. At this point I come to work just to get some reading done and mess around on my iPad.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
This new law of independent contractors having to be employees on payroll is completely fucked up. Can't even say I'm surprised. The government finding more ways to squeeze tax money out of hard working people. Because they are wording it to make it seem as if they are simply just worried about independent worker's health insurance and whatnot, but anyone can see right through the bullshit.
Clubs are already working on imposing the new rules to get ready for the new year changes. Today, manager gave warnings to me and many other girls that we HAD TO sell a dance or else he would send us home early. It was a slow and when it did start to fill up most of the guys were cheap. Ridiculous.
Time to consider a different state to live at.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SugarCookies
This new law of independent contractors having to be employees on payroll is completely fucked up. Can't even say I'm surprised. The government finding more ways to squeeze tax money out of hard working people. Because they are wording it to make it seem as if they are simply just worried about independent worker's health insurance and whatnot, but anyone can see right through the bullshit.
Clubs are already working on imposing the new rules to get ready for the new year changes. Today, manager gave warnings to me and many other girls that we HAD TO sell a dance or else he would send us home early. It was a slow and when it did start to fill up most of the guys were cheap. Ridiculous.
Time to consider a different state to live at.
The IRS is finally implementing methods to get more revenue out of people. It's an across the board change that has affected many industries. Restaurant workers are affected by this too.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kittykatSPANK
The new system, at least the one Deja Vu is using, is absurd.
Deja Vu is making us pay ourselves our own minimum wage and income taxes out of our dance sales and if you don't make enough in dances to cover it, eventually you'll be terminated because THEY don't want to pay your legally owed wages. You will also be told to go home if you don't cover your minimum wage in the first 3 hours, which we all know is fucked up because some days you could make most or all of your wages in the last hour or two of your shift if it's slow. Their method for calculating paychecks is convoluted and confusing to EVERYONE. They refuse to break it down on pay stubs, you have to ask for individually printed daily wage reports. On top of it, your percentage from dances can vary from day to day, making it impossible to double check your paycheck yourself.
If anyone knows a labor/wage/tax law specialist in California, I know a lot of dancers who want questions answered.
I found an interesting article on this: https://www.courthousenews.com/strip...nt-with-clubs/
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kittykatSPANK
The new system, at least the one Deja Vu is using, is absurd.
Deja Vu is making us pay ourselves our own minimum wage and income taxes out of our dance sales and if you don't make enough in dances to cover it, eventually you'll be terminated because THEY don't want to pay your legally owed wages. You will also be told to go home if you don't cover your minimum wage in the first 3 hours, which we all know is fucked up because some days you could make most or all of your wages in the last hour or two of your shift if it's slow. Their method for calculating paychecks is convoluted and confusing to EVERYONE. They refuse to break it down on pay stubs, you have to ask for individually printed daily wage reports. On top of it, your percentage from dances can vary from day to day, making it impossible to double check your paycheck yourself.
If anyone knows a labor/wage/tax law specialist in California, I know a lot of dancers who want questions answered.
it is not okay. there needs to be resistance.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
https://youtu.be/VZ2HcRl4wSk
Dancers unionizing is my wet dream.
You can do it!
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
replying bcuz I want to keep up with this thread.
I'm not in cali anymore, and I dont know much about unionizing /striking,
but if theres ANY way I can involve myself with this I'd love 2...
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
"Cover our own minimum wage" freakin ridiculous. w/ how much money we make the clubs :/
3 Attachment(s)
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Attachment 50872
Attachment 50873
Attachment 50874
They are walking out with waaaaaaaayyyyyy less than they normally would have. This law is disastrous. I'm not sure how exactly this will affect other professions, but it can't be good when a whole group of barbers quit on the spot after hearing the news, leaving the owner all by himself. Watch the unemployment rate rise more.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SugarCookies
I'm so glad I quit dancing when I did! Those numbers disgust me! I'm pretty sure that poor girl had to endure grabbiness & God knows what else back there considering it was San Francisco. I'd been srsly taking him to a cheaper room & pocketing the extra $$$ lying my ads off about how many I actually did to keep my $$$.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Dude those reciepts.
How is it legal to take so many fees and things ?
Like a door fee ? Wtf is a door fee and why is it equal to the amount of hourly a shift pays ? Like ive never had a job that my pay structure was filled with deductions. I dont feel like this structure is really legal. Ive had jobs that paid hourly plus commission bt ive never heard of having fees built into a payment structure. A job doesnt fine you everyday for using their office space, i thought they could charge fees to contractors bc your sort of renting their space but how are they able to have fees when we are supposed to be employees ?
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Is anyone down to organize a protest in SF or LA? I would be down.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
There is money to be made in the bay area. This is terrible
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
The alternative to working as employees in clubs is to works as an independent contractor doing private parties. This is were I see the best dancers heading.
I'm sure the club owners aren't happy with the new laws either. This just made it a lot easy for Uncle Sam to collect taxes on all the money paid out at clubs.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Scincityent
The alternative to working as employees in clubs is to works as an independent contractor doing private parties. This is were I see the best dancers heading.
I'm sure the club owners aren't happy with the new laws either. This just made it a lot easy for Uncle Sam to collect taxes on all the money paid out at clubs.
I'm confused which dancers were stupid enough to think this was a good idea to sue over this. At the end of the day, we all know clubs and they will fuck everyone over as long as they make their regular money/quota and keep as little accountability of who gives it to them as possible...
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
Quote:
Originally Posted by
indiegirl
I'm confused which dancers were stupid enough to think this was a good idea to sue over this. At the end of the day, we all know clubs and they will fuck everyone over as long as they make their regular money/quota and keep as little accountability of who gives it to them as possible...
Totally agree!
A few got greedy and wanted it all, benefits and more pay, in the end everyone lost. The thing most people don't realize was you need to cover your own benefits and taxes as an independent contractor. The potential to make more money is there (if you work hard enough) when you work for yourself and work by your own rules. As an employee, you get more security with benefits and stable income at the cost of limited potential and the rules of the employer.
But the way most clubs are structuring it right now, there just isn't enough money in it for dancers to live off of. I don't think it's entirely the clubs doing either. With the new laws, thier taxes and overhead increased exponentially. Nobody but the government benefited from the new laws. Unfortunately, the dancers are paying the burden of these changes.
Re: California Dancers Need to Unionize and Strike
There was one club I worked at briefly in CA, which would require us to pay out of our own earnings the drinks we did not sell and the minimum was six during the shift. Honestly, as long as the club is not an a-hole, I did not mind but I understand, how in normal work environments, this sort of thing would be total bs. Yet, as dancers, we are obliged to put up with it all the time.