I've had this idea, and I'd love to get some input on it. What if there was a voluntary stripper's union for dancers, club owners, and club employees? We'll call it the Strippers and Club Owners (SACO) for the sake of ease. Here's what I'm thinking:
SACO's three primary platforms would be:
1)To shed light on the problems that are common in exotic dancers, specifically substance abuse and domestic violence;
2)To improve working conditions for exotic dancers and strip club professionals;
3)To provide a clearinghouse of information for exotic dancers and club owners and group benefits such as health care, worker's compensation, and legal aid.
For the first position, the campaign would be two-fold: First, education in member stripclubs through brochures and pamphlets, and perhaps (on down the line) a certification for some dancers as domestic violence crisis counselors or substance abuse counselors. Second, by providing financial assistance and relocation assistance to members affected by domestic violence, AND by providing substance abuse rehabilitation and referrals to stripper-friendly rehab organizations and resources.
For the second position, union certification would be a direct result of clubs meeting the voluntary standards that SACO sets. There would also be a PR campaign.
For the third position, we could offer group rates for health care and have SACO clubs contribute to a worker's comp fund. We could also provide legal assistance to dancers battling a work-related issue (discrimination in a day job as a result of dancing, lawsuits against clubs and owners, etc.) as well as legal aid for criminal prosecution that may occur from overzealous local cops.
So the question is, how do we fund this, and how do we encourage dancers and club owners to join?
We'd fund it through personal and business dues. Clubs who wanted to be SACO members would have to do a couple of things. First, they'd have to agree to follow the SACO club guidelines that would specify how they'd treat the dancers, etc. Second, they'd have to pay for an initial inspection of their club where our state/regional rep would go to their club, talk to the employees and dancers, and make a determination whether they were truly following the rules. Third, they'd have to pay an annual re-certification fee and have their SACO membership reviewed once a year. Their inspection and re-certification fees would be determined by two things: 1)the size of their club, as determined by annual sales and/or the size of their dancer roster, and 2)the percentage of dancers and employees who are SACO members (more on this later). So if I ran a large club with, say, 500 dancers on the roster, my annual re-certification fee might be $10,000. But if 250 of my dancers were SACO members, I could get a discount on my fees up to half, paying only $5,000. Therefore, it is to my personal advantage to encourage my dancers to join SACO.
So what's the benefit to the clubs of SACO membership? First, SACO will maintain an online database of all their member clubs. Through advertising and public relations, we will begin to educate the general public on stripclub conditions and the purpose of SACO. If a young man wants to go to a stripclub, but wants to make sure that he's going to a "good" one, he can search for a nearby club on the SACO site. Secondly, SACO dancers will receive a discount on their dues for working in a SACO club. A dancer who goes the extra mile to join an organization like SACO is generally going to be a dancer who takes her business seriously, and thus is going to be much lower-drama and easier to manage than someone off the street. Therefore, it helps clubs to join SACO because they will then be able to recruit a higher-caliber entertainer and employee.
Dancers and employees would pay annual dues. The cost would probably be minimal--I'm thinking like $50 a year for waitstaff, bartenders, VIP hosts, valets, etc. About $100 a year for dancers and DJs, and about $200 a year for managers. But if your "home club" is a SACO club, you can get a discount on your dues. You can also qualify for all of the SACO services (reduced medical insurance and legal aid, etc.). If you have a problem with your club, you can take the problem to your club/local union rep, and they will attempt to mediate a solution between you and your club. If the problem is serious, they will push it up to the state/regional reps, who will determine whether to impose sanctions or censure on the club. If it's VERY serious or it's part of a pattern of bad stuff, it could go to the national board, who may decide to revoke the club's SACO membership.
What are the advantages to the dancers? First, they can qualify for all the SACO services. Second, they have increased bargaining power as members of SACO. Third, they can be assured that a SACO club has met SACO standards and it would help them choose a club.
So that's my idea--the basic outline of it anyways. Now for the questions:
1)If there was an organization like SACO, would you be likely to join?
2)If there was an organization like SACO, do you think your club would be likely to join?
3)What other things would you like to see in a labor organization for exotic dancers?
4)Could something like this ever work? Why or why not?
5)IF this is something that might work and you'd be interested in joining or helping out as a state/regional/local/club rep, PM me.





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