Leaving everything on the table
A company in Atlanta just found out the hard way that they’re required to actually pay their employees. Seventy-three exotic dancers from Club Onyx won a total of $1.55 million from their main employer, Galardi South Enterprises. Apparently the owner of Club Onyx compensated his strippers only by the generosity of the average strip club attendee. This led to unfair advantages for certain more talented strippers (and, I suspect, more dollar bills could fit in larger g-strings). The judge’s ruling states that strippers are not qualified as independent contractors, and therefore are due wages beyond any tips they receive. This follows a rising tide of wage dispute lawsuits, such as Mario Batali’s tip-stealing debacle or California’s lunch compensation conundrum.