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I was watching TV a few weeks back, just wondering through the channels. There wasn't much on, and I was about to go run errands when I came across something on LinkTV about a strippers' union. Being a fan of both the ladies and an underdog story, I watched.
The story of the documentary followed a young woman named Julia. She had turned to stripping to make ends meet and in the process had formed srong friendships and admiration for some of the women she worked with, but she also discovered that strippers were being exploited (other than in they way they were consenting to). The club owners were starting to charge stage fees, essentially charging the women to work, and they were refusing to do anything about sexual abuse. They were even being videotaped without their knowledge. Clearly, it was not the best environment to be an exotic dancer. Instead of quitting an industry that was basically corrupt and exploited wherever you look, she decided to fight it. In response to the horrible conditions, some of the dancers contact the Service Employees International Union. The strip club owners then hire a union-busting attorney.
I ended up enjoying the narrative a great deal. It was a perfect example of some situations where unionization is absolutely, positively necessary in preventing the abuse and exploitation of workers. In the end, the women are able to form a union and get real, positive changes made.
I believe it was called "Live Nude Girls Unite!", in case you're curious.
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