Two former dancers at Sammy’s Strip Club in Birmingham, Alabama, have initiated legal action against their former employer, alleging multiple violations, including implementing what they describe as a “socialist” tip-sharing arrangement.
According to the lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Alabama, the club owners purportedly imposed a tip-sharing system, which the dancers argue constituted a “forced socialist economic system.” This system mandated that the dancers distribute their tips among all club staff, forming what the lawsuit terms an “illegal tipping pool.”
The lawsuit, filed on Sunday, accuses the club owners of compelling the dancers to subsidize their co-workers through this tip-sharing arrangement.
Additionally, the two dancers, who remain unnamed in the lawsuit, claim that despite being classified as independent contractors, they were denied minimum wage and overtime pay.
The lawsuit alleges that the club’s actions are part of a broader trend identified by the Department of Labor, where businesses utilize such practices to cut costs and evade compliance with labor laws.
Furthermore, the dancers assert that the club owners enforced a mandatory “house fee” or kickback system, which required dancers to pay a fee to work. This fee allegedly increased as the night progressed, exerting further financial pressure on the dancers.
The plaintiffs, seeking $100,000 in damages, are joined by ten other unnamed Sammy’s employees listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Fox News has reached out to Sammy’s Gentlemen Club for comment on the matter, but no response has been provided yet.