From The Los Angeles Public Press
“The first time Reagan walked into the Star Garden, a hole-in-the-wall topless strip club in North Hollywood, she said she fell in love. She recalls the club had an almost cinematic quality: Deep red lightbulbs lit the carpeted main room, while a smoke machine blew a haze around the stages and bar. Thin and thick bodies alike glowed under those scarlet lights…
“Today, the Star Garden sits as a hollow shell of its former self following the formation of the only strippers union in the country in 2023, when it joined the Actors’ Equity Association. Theirs was a landmark victory followed by at least two other strippers unions, the Chippendales in Vegas and the Magic Tavern in Portland. The victory, however, was short-lived. Across the country, every effort for a strippers union has so far been met with prolonged resistance by club owners. None of the unions are operating.
“In March 2024, the Star Garden union filed a case with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the club’s owners of failing to comply with a settlement agreement that recognized their union. It has been two years since the case has had any traction, and the Los Angeles labor board has yet to schedule a hearing.
“‘While Star Garden received a lot of attention and inspired dancers at other clubs, that member enthusiasm has not been able to actually deliver on the promise of worker protections,’ said Andrea Hoeschen, general counsel for the Actors’ Equity Association.”
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