Md. exotic dancers sue for the right to earn minimum wage

WASHINGTON — It’s a minimum wage battle that many people might not be hearing much about. Since exotic dancers consider themselves employees as part of the adult entertainment industry, they have filed lawsuits to get at least minimum wage.

In the latest case, a U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling Wednesday that exotic dancers from two strip clubs in Prince George’s County, Maryland, were employees of the club, not independent contractors as the defending strip clubs claimed.

The plaintiffs in the case say that the strip clubs where they worked failed to give them a paycheck and had not given an hourly wage — instead, their earnings were limited to “performance fees” and direct tips from patrons. They claimed that the clubs failed to pay them the minimum wage that is required by federal law in the Fair Labor Standards Act and Maryland state law.

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