.jpg "North Hollywood strippers went on strike and the topless dive bar Star Garden closed")
Dancers at North Hollywood's Star Garden topless dive bar have begun a strike against unfair labor practices, seven months after becoming the only unionized strippers in America, a move that would effectively shut down the club.
The strike will continue from Thursday, December 7 to December 10.
Attorneys for the Actors Equity Association, which represents the dancers, filed a series of complaints with the National Labor Relations Board alleging bad faith in the club's bargaining chip.
They said Star Gardens interfered with strip dancers' ability to earn tips and took disciplinary action against the dancers. They also alleged that the owners refused entry to some Union fans and charged other Union fans high fees to enter the club.
Star Garden was temporarily closed earlier this year amid violent protests. But the club's owners reached an agreement with the union in May, agreeing to resume operations, negotiate a contract with Equity and bring back the fired dancers.
The club reopened in August and union talks are ongoing. The next trading session will be held on Tuesday, December 12.
"Since recently, the owners of the club have repeatedly violated the settlement agreement," said Kate Schindle, president of Actors' Equity. "The dancers we represent, like other workers, deserve fair treatment and respect for their basic rights."
Schindl said the attack would send a strong visual message.
"Instead of appearing on the Star Garden stage, they were dancing in the streets," he said.
In a statement released Thursday, Star Gardens denied engaging in unfair labor practices and said operating costs had increased since reopening in August. The club said it averaged fewer than eight customers per night for the past three months.
"Costs have gone up - insurance, security, legal fees - but Star Gardens continues," the board said.
Star Garden added that the dancers "repeatedly performed in a way that disrupted business."
Some dancers refused to come out of their dressing rooms for hours, the club said, and ordered patrons to avoid Star Garden and visit rival clubs and underground events.
The club will not be open during the strike, management said.
One stripper, who goes by the stage name "Charlie," said the club essentially destroyed his ability to earn decent tips.
"If a customer wants to tip us, they have to bring cash," said the 24-year-old Los Angeles resident. "We tried for three months to get them to sign the cash register. They finally succeeded, but the board didn't have $1 bills, so all the dancers came to work with $1 bills in change."
Charlie says he used to get up to $200 in tips on a good night, but now he's lucky to get $70.
"It's unbelievable," he said.
A spokesman for the strip dancers said they would face disciplinary action if they accidentally got too close to customers while dancing, which is almost impossible on the small stages where they perform.
"They can't be within 6 feet of a customer, and if a dancer crosses the 1-inch line, they get a warning," he said.
Most of the club's 30 or so stripers filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board in August 2022 seeking a union recognition election. Later they joined the Actors Equity Union. However, management only recognized union status in May 2023, noting that some of the dancers were not directly employed by Star Garden.
According to the dancers, the trade union movement was born out of necessity.
The strippers alleged that in March 2022, security guards and club management repeatedly refused to protect them from threats and abusive behavior. Unsafe working conditions were also reported, including holes and nails sticking out of the stage.
This prompted the Star Garden dancers to stage their first protest outside the club.
