For eight years, Cristal M. Vera danced on a raised stage bathed in violet light inside a windowless club along busy West Expressway 83 in Harlingen. She and other entertainers served as the main attractions for the strip club called Jaguars. And though they worked long hours, performing on stage and in private rooms for customers, they were never paid any wages, according to a federal lawsuit filed in July 2021 on behalf of all dancers who have worked at Jaguars in the last three years.
Entertainers at Jaguars danced nude or semi-nude for shifts, but were required to wear heels at all times, whether they were on the floor or on stage, the pending lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas says. They were fined if they failed to comply with management’s rules,”including late fees added on for every hour, and more fees for changing before getting permission at the end of a shift or for leaving early,” court records say.
Jaguars performers were required to pay $30 or more for each shift, whether or not there were customers present, the lawsuit says. Jaguars also required dancers to contribute to an “illegal tip pool,” that included employees such as the DJ, security, and management,” the court record says. Those arrangements meant that dancers could take home good tip money on busy nights.
On slow nights, they might take home nothing at all.
State and federal law generally requires all employers to pay employees wages, even workers who rely on tips workers, such as waitstaff....
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