Exotic dancers sue for overtime, minimum wage
Several exotic dancers are suing Texas-based Jaguars Gold Club for alleged time and attendance violations.
The lawsuit - which was filed against the club and its owner - seeks minimum wage for tipped employees and time-and-a-half pay for overtime employee attendance. The dancers claim they were misclassified as independent contractors and wrongly exempted from receiving overtime pay for working more than 40 hours in a week.
"If they're a true employee, they get the benefits and protections of the statute," Texas Tech labor law professor Jarod Gonzalez told KCBD-TV. "If ... they are just an independent contractor then the law doesn't provide that protection."
Currently, the dancers are exempt from minimum wage protections because they are tipped employees. However, they're required to pay a house fee of between $30 and $70 to dance for tips, the Abilene Reporter-News notes.
The plaintiffs' attorney, Galvin Kennedy, told the Dallas Observer that although most of the country's exotic dancers are compensated as independent contractors, this may not be the case for long.
"I think over the next five years, as a result of lawsuits like this, you're going to see a big change," he told the media outlet.
The lawsuit - which was filed against the club and its owner - seeks minimum wage for tipped employees and time-and-a-half pay for overtime employee attendance. The dancers claim they were misclassified as independent contractors and wrongly exempted from receiving overtime pay for working more than 40 hours in a week.
"If they're a true employee, they get the benefits and protections of the statute," Texas Tech labor law professor Jarod Gonzalez told KCBD-TV. "If ... they are just an independent contractor then the law doesn't provide that protection."
Currently, the dancers are exempt from minimum wage protections because they are tipped employees. However, they're required to pay a house fee of between $30 and $70 to dance for tips, the Abilene Reporter-News notes.
The plaintiffs' attorney, Galvin Kennedy, told the Dallas Observer that although most of the country's exotic dancers are compensated as independent contractors, this may not be the case for long.
"I think over the next five years, as a result of lawsuits like this, you're going to see a big change," he told the media outlet.
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