A former dancer at Club Erotica strip club in McKees Rocks is seeking a class action lawsuit against the club and its owners contending she was underpaid.
Sonya Jackson, who worked at the club at various times from May 2016 until late August 2018, alleges that club management improperly classified dancers as independent contractors rather than employees. As a result, she contends the dancers were not paid properly for the hours they worked.
Filed in U.S. District Court, the lawsuit names the club, owner Vincenzo Isoldi, general manager Franco Isoldi and president and treasurer James W. Shepard as defendants.
In the lawsuit, Jackson alleges that despite dancers’ status as independent contractors, the club has “near total control over them.” The lawsuit was filed by the Pittsburgh-based law firm Carlson Lynch.
Upon arrival, dancers must check in with a door clerk, then again with the club’s D.J. after getting dressed. They must pay a fee of at least $10 in order to work and are subject to a mandatory tip-out policy, in which dancers are required to share their tips with other employees of the club.
At the end of the night, dancers are required to stay at the club until management tells them they’re allowed to leave, according to the lawsuit. The club closes at 4 a.m.
Dancers are not paid an hourly minimum wage, according to the suit. Sometimes, they end the night with little to no compensation and are not allowed to perform if they have outstanding fees.
Jackson is seeking compensation for unpaid wages and believes the suit could include at least 100 other members, according to the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for the club who answered the phone Monday night said the owners declined to comment at this time.
