Full Breakdown
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Unionize in Historic Labor Victory
By Drooid · · How we work
Background and Context
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association (DCCA) was voluntarily recognized by the Dallas Cowboys franchise as the collective-bargaining representative for the squad. The recognition follows years of public scrutiny over low pay, a 2018 federal fair-wage lawsuit filed by former cheerleader Erica Wilkins, and a 2019 settlement that doubled per-game pay from $200 to $400. The Netflix documentary series *America’s Sweethearts* (second season released in 2025) amplified the issue, documenting dancers’ demanding schedules and prompting a 400 % pay increase for the 2025 season.
Data and Statistics
- Squad size: 36 active members (the union’s exact coverage has not been confirmed).
- Pay raise: 400 % increase for the 2025 season; veteran dancers now earn more than $75 per hour, up from $15 per hour in the 2024 season.
- Historical pay: In the 1990s, cheerleaders earned as little as $15 per game; by the early 2000s the rate rose to $50 per game.
- Legal precedent: The Buffalo Bills’ “Buffalo Jills” won a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling in 1995 to unionize, but the Jills disbanded after a 2014 lawsuit.
Official Statements & Responses
Tad Carper, senior vice president of communications for the Cowboys, confirmed the recognition in an interview with *The Dallas Morning News*. The team has not provided details on health-insurance benefits, which a former squad member noted were absent from the 2025 wage increase.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Union coverage: While the squad consists of 36 members, sources differ on how many will be formally represented by the DCCA.
- NLRB filing: As of the announcement, the NLRB website listed no union documentation for the DCCA, leaving the legal status of the bargaining unit unclear.
- Benefits: The new contract’s wage provisions are confirmed, but health-insurance coverage remains unaddressed in the statements released.
Verbatim Quotes
- “So you see a lot of that inequality of compensation in any sort of artistic or entertainment field where you have lots of people clamoring to get into it and maybe being unpaid or very poorly paid to do so,” — Victor Chen, commonwealth university professor
What’s Next
The DCCA and the Cowboys will begin collective-bargaining negotiations to draft an official contract covering wages, benefits, and working conditions. No specific timeline for a finalized agreement has been disclosed.