In a first, sex worker group gets unionised in Canada

In a pathbreaking move, one of the oldest sex worker organisation based in Toronto has become the first of its kind to get unionised in the country under the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

The group’s name is Maggie’s. Jassie Justice, an outreach worker at Maggie’s, who led union efforts, said “Unionising allows staff to tangibly address racism, transphobia, low wages, and too few working hours for staff.”

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Although the union only represents Maggie’s staff, sex workers across Canada hope the move sparks a nationwide trend.

Sex workers say, unions make it possible for workers to force employers to give them paternity leave, paid time off and meaningful ways to address violations and abuses incurred on the job. Pay-docking can also be tackled through it.

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Across Canada, many strippers have to go through third-party agencies to get work at clubs, so they are subject to the ways they are treated by club management and by the agents coordinating their work.

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When it comes to pay, agencies take a cut, and clubs use pay docking as a way to penalise strippers for being late or failing to hit targets. “It’s straight-up extortion,” one stripper said.

To make matters worse, there aren’t enough government guidelines protecting sex workers, including strippers.