Tom Morello is a big fan of unions. A couple weeks ago, he popped up for a surprise performance at the the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Now he’s back at it again, but this time, it was in support of a strip club union.
The Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood, Los Angeles reopened on August 24, and the Rage Against The Machine member was there, guitar in hand. Consequence notes picketing outside the club began in mid-2022 after multiple employees petitioned the bar’s owners over a number of issues. The employees voted to unionize as Equity Strippers Noho within the Actors’ Equity Association this past May. Contracts are currently behind negotiated, but the employees are returning to work under an interim agreement.
Morello shared a couple photos of himself at the event and wrote, “This is what solidarity looks like!! Rocking the @equitystrippersnoho Victory Party at Star Gardens, which after a tremendous fight is THE ONLY UNIONIZED STRIP CLUB IN THE USA!! […] While the owners are still doing very shady things it was a night of radical unity and radical rump shaking!”
He added, “Cecil Roberts, President of @umwaunion sent this message: ‘All workers need a Union regardless of their occupation. Unions make bad jobs good jobs, low paying jobs good paying jobs, unsafe jobs safe jobs, and that is exactly why your Employer doesn’t want you to organize. If you want higher wages, join a union, if you want healthcare, join a union, if you want better working conditions, join a union, if you just want to tell the boss to kiss your ass, join a union!!! Solidarity, Sisters!!!’”
Find some more footage from the event below.
TONIGHT after over a year long battle on picket lines, at the NLRB, and beyond Star Garden reopens as a UNION STRIP CLUB and @tmorello is performing #SolidaritySummer pic.twitter.com/JULBhmaxCa
— Dripped Out Trade Unionists (@UnionDrip) August 25, 2023