ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9609030066
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO
It wasn't your typical voting booth, sitting at the end of a dark row of peep show doors and a sign advertising ``Nasty Nymphos'' and ``Transsexual Sex Fiends.''
But it served its purpose for nude dancers at the Lusty Lady. The women who wiggle nightly for 25 cents a look voted 57-15 to join a union, apparently the only nude dancers to do so in the nation.
``This is a historical moment, fantastic for sex workers everywhere,'' said Dawn Passar, co-founder of the Exotic Dancers Alliance, an advocacy group that joined with the Service Employees International Union, Local 790, to engineer the vote.
``I think it's great, although I'm not surprised we won,'' said a dancer who identified herself as Jane. ``It was kind of anticlimactic, after fighting for it for so long. Watching them count the votes was really unreal.''
Lusty Lady general manager June Cade, who had publicly fought the union, seemed resigned after the results of Friday's vote were announced, and several dancers gave her hugs and words of encouragement.
Sanda Steinbauer, the dancers' representative at Local 790, said negotiations for a contract should begin within two weeks.
Steinbauer said the dancers asked her to concentrate on developing a concrete schedule of raises and raising salaries of beginning dancers. The dancers currently earn $11 to $24 per hour.
Dancers also have said they are concerned about health care and sick leave benefits, favoritism and inconsistency in scheduling, Steinbauer said.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 38 linesby CNB