DALLAS, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are unionizing.
The franchise has agreed to recognize the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as the collective bargaining representative for one of the most famous cheer squads in professional sports, both sides said in a joint statement on Friday. The move follows years of the cheerleaders fighting for pay increases.
“The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization, deeply respected for the talent and dedication they exhibit,” the statement said. “They remain one of the most sought-after opportunities for talented dancers worldwide.”
During the second season of the Netflix series “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” which aired last year, one of the cheerleaders said that the members were getting a 400-percent boost in pay.
The Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader in 2019 that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay for members to $400.
The first cheerleading squad to unionize was the Buffalo Jills, the squad for the Buffalo Bills. The Jills won a ruling from the National Labor Relations Board in 1995 allowing them to form the National Football League Cheerleaders Association, and they then voted to join it. The squad later disbanded following a 2014 lawsuit filed by former Jills, who said they worked hundreds of hours for free and were subjected to groping and sexual comments.
