Overview
- The Sex Work Autonomous Committee, which called a strike for Saturday, May 23, seeks employee status and safer working conditions for dancers.
- Many dancers are treated as independent contractors who pay a nightly "bar fee" of about $40 to $110 to work, so they rely on tips and have no wage or sick leave.
- The group chose Grand Prix weekend because clubs are busiest then and the event brings an estimated $50 million to $90 million to Montreal’s economy.
- Participation remains uncertain since joining is voluntary, with some workers planning to refuse bar fees or skip clients and others fearing lost income or blacklisting.
- Bell GP Canada said it opposes sexual exploitation, and reports note no negotiations or concessions so far as some workers also press for full federal decriminalization of sex work.