Exotic dancers generally don’t get paychecks. They pick up cash thrown on the stage and pocket tips from private dances.
Out of those earnings, they then pay fees to the club owner for stage time; cuts to disc jockeys, doormen, and managers. On a busy night, at prime time, they can take home upwards of $1,500. On slow nights, the fees can leave them in the red.
And they’re not guaranteed anything. They have no rights to minimum wage or overtime. They can’t sue for sexual harassment or discrimination, or form a union. That’s because the strip club business is ...