The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association (DCCA) has been recognized by the Cowboys as the collective bargaining representative of the DCC, according to a press release issued Friday by the parties. This recognition comes after “significant discussion” between the team and the newly formed union, and the parties are set to begin collective negotiations,
Tad Carper, senior vice president of communications for the Cowboys, confirmed that the union The Dallas Morning News, but declined to make further comments. The DCCA did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment..
The move comes after years of discussions over compensation for cheerleaders, who are one of the most recognized dance troupes in the world. The cheerleaders’ salary was a major plot point in Season 2 of the Netflix documentary series “America’s Sweethearts,” which profiled the team in recent seasons. During this season of the show, dancers reported getting a 400% pay raise.
Former dancers revealed how little the team earned, even as its fame grew through TV shows and other media. In the 2010s, the Cowboys were defendants in a fair wage lawsuit filed by three-year veteran Erica Wilkins, with a report on the lawsuit indicating that she only earned about $16,000 during her highest-earning year with the team. During the Cowboys’ heyday in the 1990s, cheerleaders earned $15 per game, which later increased to $50 per game before the turn of the century.
Staff writer Calvin Watkins contributed to this report.
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