Two years since a general strike among strippers in Portland, Oregon, prompted nearly 30 clubs to adopt worker-protecting measures, sex workers in the region are still organizing to secure better living and working conditions, while their movement has gained steam nationwide and internationally. Strippers and other sex workers told Insider they still face sexual harassment and assault at work, by both management and customers of clubs, and conditions have been more challenging since the pandemic made owners more desperate for business.
Despite some progress, Black dancers reported hearing racist remarks and facing discrimination at work. Portland is home to the most strip clubs per capita in the US , with a unique culture and economy that relies on club tourism.
In summer , more than dancers protested for better working conditions and nearly 30 strip clubs — facing the financial pressure of the pandemic as well as missing dancers — ultimately agreed to undergo anti-racism training, listening sessions, and hire more dancers of color.
They alleged multiple clubs illegally withheld wages and required illegal kickbacks in addition to the risk of sexual violence they and other dancers regularly face in the clubs. A post shared by Haymarket Pole Collective pdxstripperstrike. Hollis, as well as three other dancers, have a suit pending against six different strip clubs in Oregon, alleging federal wage violations similar to those faced by gig workers, including management stealing tips and demanding illegal kickbacks and house fees.
While they're dedicated to seeing the suit through, Hollis said, they are focused more on taking concrete actions directed toward helping sex workers and enabling them to further organize on their own. Outside Portland, the wave of momentum caused in part by Hollis' organizing hit Los Angeles, where dancers at the Star Garden in North Hollywood voted this month to become the nation's first unionized strip club since San Francisco's Lusty Lady closed its doors in For club owners, the needs of dancers frequently take a backseat to the financial needs of the business — especially during the pandemic, when strip clubs — classified as "live entertainment" venues — were forced to close due to coronavirus concerns.
