She said when she arrived at Deja Vu of North Hollywood, management presented her with a contract to acknowledge her status as a freelancer. As of last Wednesday, a day after she filed the lawsuit, she’s out of work. For the longest time, I haven’t felt I’ve been getting the respect I deserve.”Ĭadena’s activities come with a price. She’s now on a crusade to institute better working conditions at strip joints, Cadena said. ![]() Dancers elsewhere who are union-covered employees say they make $15 to $28 an hour. “Nowadays, even with a bachelor’s degree, it’s hard to make the kind of money we make,” Cadena said. Her dancing career is temporary, she said, but stripping generates more income than she’d earn in a low-skilled job. Plaintiff Cadena, 29, a San Fernando Valley resident, said she’s been stripping at Deja Vu of North Hollywood, and other clubs, for five years to put herself through college. “These women are being cheated out of their rights,” Mandlekar said. The dancers are also asking for unspecified punitive damages. In addition to being reclassified as employees, the exotic dancers are asking that they be reimbursed for the amounts they believe they should have been paid in the past three to four years, plus interest. “These lawsuits are usually a scam for ex-dancers to get free money,” Shafer said. Shafer said other dancers have made similar claims throughout the years, but they have been without merit. The contract features a clear disclaimer stating that they’re not employees, according to Shafer. “All these entertainers sign a very elaborate lease that specifically spells out the tenancy arrangement,” Shafer said. But he said the company will vigorously resist it. “‘What this case is about is an employer trying to call a cow a pig and it’s really a cow, no matter how many times you call it a pig,” Mandlekar said.ĭeja Vu’s attorney, Shafer, said he had not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges a violation of a section of the California Labor Code that gives employees the right to sue for back wages and overtime, and a section of the California Business and Professional Code that allows employees to sue for illegal, unfair or fraudulent business practices. Unlike true independent contractors, who have the freedom to set their own work schedule, the dancers are told when and where to work by club management, according to Ron Dean, another Cadena lawyer. The crux of the dancers’ lawsuit is that, although the clubs classify the dancers as freelancers, they are, in essence, employees, chiefly because of the amount of control management exerts over them. “I don’t know how an exotic dancer who takes her clothes off would consider a dressing room a private room,” Shafer said. “Did you ever see a dressing room for runway models, for example? There are people in the back rooms. The attitude seems to be, ‘They take off their clothes, to hell with them.’ ”īrad Shafer, Deja Vu’s Michigan-based attorney, defended the clubs. ![]() "We always have various PR and lobbying needs that affect the adult entertainment industry at large."Įric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal.Said Cadena’s attorney, Ray Mandlekar: “The women don’t seem to get respect for their privacy. Daniels as our official spokesperson will take our public relations efforts to new heights," said Kristi Flores, a company representative, in statement to and other outlets. The website and several TV outlets reported last month online that Daniels represents Deja Vu Services and will help be an advocate for the company's dancers. Last April, Daniels performed at a club in Detroit.ĭaniels, 39, was recently named the "national spokesperson" for the Deja Vu chain of strip clubs across the U.S., Sime said.ĭeja Vu once had its national headquarters in Lansing. MORE: Hundreds protest Trump's firing of Sessions, fear Mueller's Russia investigation will endĭaniels' Twitter page has promoted her tour of adult clubs for several months. PLUS: Women's work is in the state House as mid-Michigan voters elect 5 new female reps ![]() RELATED: Michael Cohen 'stood out' at Lansing law schoolĪLSO: Editorial: We are journalists, we are not the enemy Tickets can be purchased at the club, open seven days per week.ĭeja Vu's Facebook page describes Daniels as "the porn star that Trumps them all." Sime said Daniels has never performed in Lansing. "And let's face it, she's in the news almost every day." "Just the entertainment value alone is worth the money. "She's been a dancer and in the porn industry a long time," Sime said. Tickets for the Lansing shows are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. She will perform two shows at Deja Vu's Lansing location around 11:30 p.m.
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