Sweeping Law Making Strippers Club ‘Employees’ Hits CA Gov’s Desk

After the California Supreme Court last year issued a landmark ruling that reclassified many workers who had previously been treated as “independent contractors” to now possess full “employee” status, the state’s legislature has now authored and passed a bill to make that court ruling a state law, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The bill has been sent to the governor's desk, where it awaits his signature. The law will have a direct, and controversial, impact on live performers in the adult industry, who will now—assuming the bill is signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom—be given the same rights as employees in the strip clubs where they work, as AVN.com has reported. They will also be subject to the same rules and regulations, spelling an end to the freewheeling system that allowed strippers to protect their identities while leaving each night of work with cash in hand. But under the independent contractor system, nude and exotic dancers were also subject to often exploitive and arbitrary treatment by some strip joint managers and owners. The bill is largely aimed at the “gig economy,” driven by Silicon Valley tech firms such as quasi-taxi service Uber and online food delivery platform Postmates, which according to a Times report have now vowed to wage a $60 million campaign to overturn the new employment law using a statewide ballot initiative, throwing the decision to California voters. Those online services—particularly Uber and its competitor Lyft—say that their businesses could go belly-up if they are forced to give their drivers the full privileges of employees, such as sick days, safety protections, unemployment insurance and paid family leave. In California the “gig economy” is especially prevalent, with about 15 percent of workers currently categorized as “independent contractors.” But among strip club dancers, the court ruling and new law have proven highly controversial, with many strippers preferring to maintain “independent” status. They have a high-profile spokesperson in AVN Hall of Famer Stormy Daniels, who authored an op-ed in the Times opposing the reclassification of strippers. “There are unique aspects of the job that make employee status for the stripper highly undesirable,” Daniels wrote. “Performers in the adult entertainment world often want anonymity. ... These are real people, mothers and students—young women seeking to earn a decent living while remaining independent.” On the other hand, Daniels’ fellow AVN Hall of Fame performer, Alana Evans, has been vocal in her support of employee status for strip club dancers, as AVN.com reported.  "Whether it is on your feet and in your heels or on your back, I have the right just as much as you to be protected," Evans said at a rally earlier this year. “They don’t want to pay worker’s comp. They don’t want to pay into social security. Or if you get hurt, or we need disability, none of those things exist for us as workers.” Photo By Georg Pik / Wikimedia Commons