YOU GO, GIRLS

NYC Strippers Win $10M in Back Wages

From a Manhattan strip club.

A federal judge ruled Friday that roughly 1,900 strip club dancers are due $10 million in back wages and tips. The dancers, who worked at Rick’s Cabaret in Manhattan, filed a class action suit to be paid at least minimum wage. Additional claims are headed to trial, meaning there could be further rewards. “We are very happy with the court's ruling,” said the dancers’ Minneapolis-based lawyer, E. Michelle Drake. The club’s owner, RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc., said it planned to appeal and continue “vigorously defending the allegations.” The dancers were not paid wages by the club; instead, they were made to pay a fee to the club in order to perform. In return, the dancers were paid by customers, who paid $20 for each personal dance and $100 for 15 minutes of entertainment in a semi-private room. But after paying required fees to the club, deejays and other club workers, dancers often ended up losing more money than they made.