Stripper Army Suing Rick's Cabaret for Stiffing Dancers

Rick's strippers in poutier times.

As many as 4,500 women who worked as strippers at the Rick's Cabaret on West 33rd Street have been given the green light to proceed with a class-action lawsuit against the club. The lawsuit alleges that Rick's, a publicly traded company comprised of 19 adult nightclubs, paid strippers less than minimum wages for taking off their clothes and even charged them for using the facilities. In a press release titled "XXX-Mas Comes Early for New York Strippers," attorney E. Michelle Drake slammed the club with brio:

Rick's has it backwards. Strippers are not supposed to have to pay to work. They may agree to strip off their clothes, but they have not agreed to be stripped of their rights. Fifty dollars per night, plus an additional amount for hourly wages, adds up to a lot of money very quickly, especially when that amount is doubled under federal law.

The plaintiffs also claim that the club charges patrons $24 to buy a "dance dollar" for use inside, but the strippers only see $18 of that. The $5 million lawsuit accuses Rick's of threatening strippers with termination if they didn't pay illegal "house fees" in order to work. The main thrust of the suit is that Rick's misclassified dancers as independent contractors, when they were in fact underpaid employees relying almost solely on tips.

A nearly identical misclassification lawsuit filed by a single entertainer against Rick's settled for $36,000. If you are a woman who used to dance erotically at Rick's and would like a piece of the action, Drake encourages you to contact him by calling (612) 256-3200.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on December 24, 2009 11:09 AM

Comments [rss]

Rebecca

What this article (and the lawsuit itself) does not address is that the 4500 women who were "wronged" by Ricks did not pay taxes as employees. Since NYC does not require licensing or background checks, a majority of the women are likely illegal aliens and unlikely to come forward. The remaining SuperStrippers like myself who DO file taxes recognize the benefits of being classified as an independent contractor. As a business owner, ALL HOUSE FEES ARE TAX DEDUCIBLE, as cosmetics, costumes, home office, transportation, and more that are not write offs for employees.

I teach new entertainers how to to run a profitable stripping business at stripandgrowrich.com

Snoopy

I don't believe any of these charges. I insist on doing a body cavity search personally to see if these dancers are holding back unreported income.

mellow_fellow

I'm under the impression that the arrangement described here is found at nearly every strip joint in the U.S.

Snoopy

Here's a good one for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnNT9fsuFEQ&feature=related

Guest

4500??? that's disgusting. i might have ridden the subway with some of them. . .

well, as long as there're still some quality women in the city

The Edge

oh, the horror.

grizzzly

Wait, John, that's your number!

virgilstarkwell

"Stripper Army Suing Rick's Cabaret for Stiffing Dancers"

giggity.

Jen S

Beautiful headline!

longacre

The plaintiffs also claim that the club charges patrons $24 to buy a "dance dollar" for use inside, but the strippers only see $18 of that.
Umm, so? The club has to pay rent, security, etc.