Then there is the special the offer for bachelor parties that pay in advance-- a free shower dance with the dancer of their choice? Guess who pays for that? The dancer. Normally a dancer makes $100 for taking a shower onstage with a customer, as well as tips, but if the customer has paid in advance, she has to do it for free or lose her job. The club keeps all of the money. Luckily for the dancers, few customers pay in advance, but still. This is the kind of Third World shit that no other industry would ever get away with. Yet dancers are supposed to take this in return for... what? The privilege of working under the table and not getting workmen's compensation, disability, or social security benefits?
Clubs talk the dancers into the tax evasion route not because it benefits the dancer but because it makes things very easy money for the club. They don't have to give the dancers a damned thing. Do you think clubs are declaring all of those cash fees and fines? They pass all of their costs onto the dancers-- they put up no money for the dancer, take no risk, and make no commitments, and it is easy to get the dancers to go along because they have no idea what they are giving up. One time I injured my ankle on stage-- I had to pay $10 for the ice. Alex's wouldn't even give me that.
I guess free enterprise only works if you keep your clothes on?
Of course Dancers benefit by being legit employees.
It is unfortunate some don't realize the long term benefits vs. the short term tax evasion route the club talks them in to.
The insurance point is moot because it applies to self employed or employees. You are just trying to discredit being an employee. The admin fees come from customers not employees, so that means zero. Again just more negative spin.
This is only the beginning . Right now the Lawyers are litigating. Wait till the Attorney General steps in and starts prosecuting. Strip-clubs have been operating in a separate underground economy this does nothing but hurt tax payers and the country.
Another reason why a dancer might be unenthusiastic about this change: if the clubs are making their money through admin fees for each dance the dancer sells, they now have an incentive to weed out dancers who just sit around complaining about the money or who make their money by hooking up with customers after hours and to reward dancers who work hard and sell a lot of dances. This gives the more popular dancers more power and leverage to demand better working conditions, but it also means that less successful dancers will be feeling the pressure. In short, dancing will start to feel like a JOB, where you are evaluated, omg.
I want to give the dancers full credit here, Yoda, but you have to understand that a lot of them are *very* young, and don't necessarily see how much they benefit from having things on the books and paying their taxes-- e.g., If you are ever disabled, you will be very glad that you have paid some social security. They are not dumb, just inexperienced-- and management is more than happy to exploit this. The more on the books you are, the more protection you have and the less management can mess with you. You make more money, not less. Through no fault of their own though, most dancers don't really know how much the numbers work in their favor, are easily convinced that the law will work against them, and deeply fear losing their jobs.
Fines and house fees may be gone but there is no health insurance currently being offered by Alex's or King Arthur's (the other club with a lawsuit) to their dancers nor are the clubs obligated to do so. What IS a fact however is that, as employees in the state of Massachusetts, dancers are now REQUIRED to have health insurance by law even if they have to pay for it out of their own pocket.
Unemployment insurance? A claim would be based on the fact that there is no available work in the area as a dancer. Good luck with that. Also, full benefits based on the "tipped employee" wage that dancers are getting is minimal.
Workman's comp? Oh please! Let's all watch and see what happens the first time a dancer tries to file a claim!
Honestly you are not giving dancers very much credit here. While I'm sure that there are some girls, especially immigrants with questionable legal status, who are being intimidated by what club managers are saying I happen to know quite a few well educated and intelligent dancers and not one of them thinks that any of this is a good idea. They are not being intimidated by anyone.
The notion that paying a dancer $2.65 an hour while she is at the club is going to make her life better is a foolish one. The idea that doing away with house fees but keeping five dollars out of every twenty is a fair trade off is also foolish. The negatives far out-weigh the positives.
club owners are purposely scaring dancers away form the lawsuits.
clubs owners and managers have dancers brainwashed into thinking the irs will come get them if they become part of a lawsuit or demand their rights. that is complete crap. like the other poster said. dancers can only benefit from these laws. nothing legally changes for them... the lawsuits have given dancers an hourly wage, work-mans comp, unemployment insurance and health insurance. it's no different than a bartender or a waitress. and... no more house fees or fines.
There are thousands of dancers working in a couple of dozen clubs all over the state of Massachusetts. In total, about 20 of them have decided that suing their employer was a good idea. None of them are dancing anymore...
Coincidence? I think not.
I agree that all dancers should pay taxes. I doubt you will find many that actually file honest, full-disclosure tax returns. I'm certain you will find even fewer who would actually want to.
I understand the other side of the coin but the conversations I have had with many of my favorite dancers, most of whom are talking about leaving Mass if their club goes on the books, leads me to the conclusion that the vast majority of dancers like things just fine the way they are.
Not necessarily, Yoda. Of course some clubs (usually the big chains) will try to do it that way (i.e., keep all of the dance fees and then give the dancer a paycheck, accounting for all of the fees but also paying social security taxes etc.) but that is by no means the rule. Most places simply charge an admin fee for each dance (this is allowed) and the dancer keeps the rest in cash, to declare or not declare as she wishes. At Alex's this means that dancers make the same amount of money they did before. That said, I've always made the argument that paying honest taxes is in the dancers best financial interests in the long run.
The point you people are missing is that, once you are an employee and on the payroll, your lap dance fees are NOT tips. A dance fee becomes the property of the club. If a customer tips you in addition to that then of course it is yours to keep...and declare on your taxes.
Be honest here, how many of these ladies are prepared for the possibility of actually having to file an honest and accurate tax return? once you are on the books that means the clubs are reporting your income-including how many of those $20 lap dances you did...
What the clubs have been doing has been illegal all along, and I am glad to see dancers wising up and standing up for themselves. Another thing: no, receiving a settlement is not going to trigger an audit. People who say that are just try to scare the dancers. The only thing reported to the IRS is how much money you received, the fact that is a settlement, and who paid the settlement. Nothing else. You do not have to explain the settlement, and they really don't care.
You have to think of a dancer as a waitress in a restaurant. They get hourly wage and they keep thier tips. Some restaurants do have a poilcy of splitting some of the tips with the bus boys, but the tips never go back to the house. For the house to take part of the dancers, lap dance money ($5 out of $20), there must ahve been a signed agreement with the dancers, or a condition of employment statement signed by the girls.
The reason dancers don't understand their rights is because they are lied to.
The club (or any employer) can not take any portion of an employee's tip. It's the LAW. The club can charge a separate fee to the customer as an administrative fee. The dancer can charge whatever she wants for a dance and the club can not take anything from her. If they are as you said they are again breaking the LAW. CALL THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE AND ASK.
Why is it so difficult for club owners to just pay an hourly wage like every other employer does?
Are you a dancer? Go to the club and find a few who agree with you. Good luck!
As soon as a dancer goes on the books that $20 she gets for a dance is no longer her money, it belongs to the club and they can take as much of it as they want. The dancers at Alex's never had to give a per-song cut back to the house until AFTER the lawsuit was started. Yes, a good club makes a lot of money. So do the dancers who work at it if they know what they are doing. They make way more than they will ever make on the books...
Name another Industry that: charges employees to work, fines their employees, doesn't pay hourly wages-or the required employee tax and does not provide standard worker benefits? Strip Club owners collect thousands in tax free house fees, fines and cover charges and don't pay wages to employees. It is about time this changed.
Spent a rare Thursday afternoon at Alex's with the lovely and charming tag team of Lena and Michelle. Are there two more lovely women dancing anywhere? I think not!
The "Men In Motion" show is listed as a feature attraction on the club's website for last Friday only. I'm betting that something like this will not become a weekly event but if they made money you can bet they will do it again. I used to work in a club (not a strip club) that ran an all-male review once a week. One thing that needs to be understood is that a room full of horny women out to party will spend a lot more money in a club than a room full of jaded male customers will on a once in a while basis. These ladies don't sit in the corner nursing a beer all night and tipping a buck at a time...
I'm not sure if this is every friday. As I was walking through the parking lot some high school kids were yelling as they were leaving "You'll love the talent they got tonight. Make sure to get a lap dance" . The bouncer told me then what the deal was. There were some ebony cuties there to see the men though.
Years ago this place had male reviews and even Jack and Jill nights. Considering the current economy and the traffic inside this club I'm guessing that management probably figures that they have nothing to lose by exploring other options once in a while. If it makes money it will probably happen once a month or so. If not, it won't.
This is just a return to Alex's ancient past where they had many "Lady's Night" events. I have never wanted to go to any club on Lady's Night", but could see where it might make a club some money!
Thanks for the heads up! I was going to head down there fri pm and I had no idea the place is going to hell in a nutsack.
Who benifits here? Fair weather female customers?
The female dancers can't like it b/c they're missing a nights work. A busy night too. The regular customers can't like it for obvious reasons. This place is seriously getting more and more retarded by the week.
Where the hell is the owner of Alex's going to get hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle this suit? Is the guy loaded or something? This suit could bk the joint.
Admittedly I'm not a math wiz but even I know that 200 grand is not half of 600 grand! The plaintiffs will split 400 grand which is what's left after the lawyers take their one third cut of the 600 thousand dollar settlement. This is pretty much SOP in contingency cases. You can say what you want about lawyers but if they had LOST the suit they would have pretty gotten nothing for their efforts. High risk equals high reward as it should.
Accroding to The Enterprize the total sum of money split was 400k, with 200k going to the lawyers. These guys are real crooks, who ever heard a lawyer getting 50%? There are at least 12 girls claiming the money which means they get 16K each, minus taxes, your looking at 9K. There would be more girls stepping up to get the money but most of them did not have a green card at the time and were in the country Illegally. Who knows, maybe more girls will come forward and they will all end up with $4.95 each.
The girls who are doing this at Alex's and at several other clubs around Mass are taking a very short-sighted approach to dancing and potential income. Most of the women involved in these suits have been former dancers looking for a payday after getting out of the business. No dancer with half a brain actually WANTS to work on the books. I know several Mass dances who are preparing to go to working in RI if their clubs decide to go on the books...
They all know about the lawsuit, but only 13 stepped forward to put in a claim. Many former employees are aware that accepting payment from this suit has tax consequences for failing to claim the income as taxable in the past.
These girls better think things through! They probably don't file legit tax returns since it's a cash biz and now they're entering the legal system telling their lawyer and court representatives how valuable they are, how much money they make for the club and how they should get beni's because of it. They better be careful or the IRS will be owning their asses. Ever hear of being audited?
600K is ridiculous. Hopefully the settlement was a fraction of that. I suppose this was inevitable after the King Arthur's suit last year, but still disappointing that girls that got years of employment turn around and shake down their former emp for more $$$.
It takes a lot of balls to sue your boss IMO. Especially in a small industry like this one. Does anyone know if any of these chicks involved in the suit are still working there?
I didn't cost them 600k, they settled out of court which means they came up with a figure less that both were happy about, but I am sure it was good sum of money.
RK: I believe you have properly identified my new favorite night time fixation at Alex's. I'm not sure she's American, but my original impression was that her name might have been Lexi - with one or two other competing names that drummed that name out. Torment a hobbyist with the possibility of a night time "double" left unfulfilled :) Thanks for filling in the missing piece in my paint by number dance card!
Kev, I was at the club last night and the blonde you are refering to was there. Her name is Lexi, and she does resemble Sahsa. I did not have a dance with her or talk to her , but I asked one of the other dancers if she was Russian and she said no, she was American, but I think a personal investagation is waranted, because she could have been wrong. Oh, by the way, Alexis (Brazilian) was there too, you would have been in your element!
Alexias: I may be old, dazed, and confused, but I'm well aware of the brazilian Alexis. Alexis was the original reason for making my recent night time visit, as she was tops on my Alex's overdue dance list. She remains there as she wasn't working that night. I found another reason to try nights in the near future! Since I know what I like, Dancer names are inconsequential - except here!
HK: Gabriella never was an obsession of mine. I actually know the Sasha that you are referencing . The dancer I'm referring to more closely resembles Sasha than the taller dancer that I believe you are posting about. Thanks for your attempt at clarification nonetheless!
If I am not mistaken the blonde russian you are talking about name is Angelina, she is tall, her hair is cut sort of like a "bob" almost down to her sholders and has nice natural breasts. She is good friends of an other russian, which I haven't seen there in a while, named Sahsa. Sasha used to be a rub girl named Olga before she started dancing. She is shorter with long blonde hair with small natural breasts.
Your lucky Gabreilla left a couple of years ago to FLP, if you were "captivated" by her I would tell you to go to a shrink, then to a clinc to get tested for diseases you can't get rid off.
In my recent night time visit, I was captivated by a blond Russian(?)
dancer by the name of Alexia/Alecia (?), but didn't get dances from her. I will look to correct that oversight in the near future. In my recent travels, I've also seen Dawn and Neveah dancing at FLB.
Yoda: The Alex's Shayla is an attractive lady in her own right, but the "FLB" Brazilian Shayla is missed greatly by this fan. In general I'm not big on real thin ladies, but she had me at hello! HY is correct that the Alex's Shayla has been there about 4 years. I happened to be sitting next to her and her friend the night she came in for her audition.
HK1&2: Nobody answers questions on this Board! Shayla was not working last night. Christina is a dark haired, deeply tanned, 30ish local women, who is shaped like she works hard at being in shape. I don't do description well, but she can be found in Extreme magazine this month, which occasionally has a pop up ad on the side here. Can we get back to the bashing now?
Made a rare (for me) night time visit yesterday. Saw some familiar dancers - Giovanna, Monique, and Melody. Saw some unfamiliar dancers - Christina, Lexi, and Brandy. Club was packed, but it was a decent and enjoyable visit. Christina's stage performance got her more tipping attention from customers than I've seen in a couple of years at Alex's.
Read the papers. The picture was taken in the parking lot. The following is from boston dot com: ....
he deserted his post last month and went to Club Alex's, a strip club in Stoughton, said Shastany. He spoke to a manager at the club and arranged to have a 3-foot-9-inch stripper known as Bridget "The Midget" Powers to meet him outside so he could be photographed with her while he was in uniform.
Nothing is mentioned in anything I read in the papers about the cop getting his picture taken. Even if he did so what? Features pose for photographs (for money) all the time during their club appearances.
You got nothin' pal. you are just a miserable fuck or a shill for the foxy...
What about the Alex's management? If i asked to have my photo taken with the feature porn star, they'd laugh at me. Why did they do it for the police? It's another form of bribery so the police looks away. The residents of Stoughton should ask why Alex's let the police have a special favor and what do they get in return? This club sucks, the management sucks and the town is stuck with them because the police look the other way.
Actually the prior 3 posts are impostors. I really don't know if no one on the Stoughton PD supports the guy, and I would never make such a stupid, broad statement. I don't care either.
Seriously dude, did you read the article? Do you watch the news? The cop was forced to resign. No one on the Stoughton police department supports what he did.
The problem with the Stoughton Police dept is that instead of policing this club, they're too busy getting benefits. A regular customer could not arrange to have the "feature" artist photo op in the parking lot. This shows how the Alex's management and the police are not walking the straight path. I'm not a resident of Stoughton but if I was I'd be asking questions why a Mexican toilet on the main street is allowed to operate.
Hey get this. I was watching Fox 25 news this morning and they had a story about Bridget the Midget dancing at Alexe's in June. It seems a policeman from Stoughton named Bennet stopped by to have his picture taken with the midget porn star, when the Cheif heard about it, he asked for his resignation, so he had to give it and he lost his job.
Aex is more like a neighborhood brothel, especially during the day. It's a Mexican toilet managed by rude assholes who treat customers like shit. I hate this f'ing place. It's a big joke how expensive their champagne rooms are which goes to show you how the management thinks they need more dollars from pimping the girls beind the curtain.
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