Even if strippers can’t bargain for employer-provided benefits right now, they can still bring workers together for a form of group purchasing of health insurance, as restaurant workers have modeled, Hudek said.
There is a great need for affordable health insurance among strippers, who experience pain and stress buildup from just walking around for hours in heels, going on stage several times a night and performing athletic stunts, said Lizzy Lavender, who dances at Dream Girls. Currently, many dancers pay out of pocket for chiropractic care, massage and physical therapy.
“But it’s hard on our bodies, and we’re exposed to so many different people, so we can get sick easily,” Lavender said. “We would want the guild to create a fund with a lower membership fee, and that way you’d be able to have the insurance for a very low rate so that people who don’t qualify for Medical Assistance … we’d have that option.”
