Exotic Dancers Fight for Proper Wages at Michigan Nightclubs

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The Coliseum, Inc., ABCDE Operating, LLC (which does business as The Penthouse Club), and an individual owner are defendants in a proposed class and collective action filed by three anonymous employees. The plaintiffs work or worked as exotic dancers or bouncers at the defendants’ nightclubs and claim they have been misclassified as independent contractors and denied proper wages. According to the suit, the defendants’ workers must adhere to specific rules and guidelines regarding their wages, hours, and working conditions, which suggests that they should be considered employees rather than independent contractors.

The suit further argues that the defendants failed to pay their workers the required minimum wage and illegally allowed non-tipped employees to participate in the tip pool. The plaintiffs also claim that their employers subjected them to unlawful fines for arriving late to work, leaving early, or failing to maintain certain aspects of their weight and physical appearance. The complaint claims that these unlawful deductions violate the Fair Labor Standards Act and state law.