A first: Chippendales at the Rio to unionize

In a twist, the men of Chippendales want coverage.

The famed adult revue at the Rio has announced plans to unionize with Actors’ Equity Association. Union reps made the move official Monday.

The production is the first all-male revue ever in Las Vegas to attempt to unionize.

The Chipps performers have also filed paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a union election. The timetable for that vote is in the hands of the NLRB, likely within a month.

Chippendale’s producers have been notified of the move, and at this writing have not responded to the union notification. Chippendales Director of Operations Katerina Tabakhov said she had no comment about Equity’s new partnership with its cast.

A Vegas success story

Chippendales has had an unbroken run (aside from COVID) since opening at the Rio in 2002. The show remains the most recognizable international brand among male revues.

The show prides itself on its name recognition and durability, having performed more than 8,700 shows in its 22-year-run, originally presented at Club Rio for two years before moving to the mezzanine.

The dancers today groove it up in a $10 million, 400-seat theater, equipped with stage-wide LED panels and a runway into the audience.

Dancing with Equity

Members of the troupe began investigating union membership about a year ago. Cast member Freddy Godinez was among the Chipps looking to pursue an Equity partnership. He’s been with the company for two years.

“The biggest issue that was surprising to me was health benefits, specifically, and sick leave,” Godinez said in a phone chat. “There are performers there that have been with the show for seven years, one of them has been there 10 years, and there are no benefits offered for the performers.”

Godinez was a Vegas newbie when he arrived from California. But his husband and fellow cast member, Alex Stabler, has performed in Vegas for nearly two decades.

Stabler was a member of “Zumanity” at New York-New York, and later “Le Reve” at Wynn. Both shows closed during the pandemic. He moved on to perform with the Chipps.

The entertainment vet was impressed with the show’s production quality, less so in its compensation. Godinez and Stabler both said it was “common knowledge” around the Vegas entertainment scene that the Chipps dancers are underpaid, compared to those in other revues.

“When I started, they offered me the same rate that my ex-boyfriend was offered 15 years ago,” Stabler said, joining the same phone chat as Godinez. “I was told, ‘That’s how it is,’ and I said, ‘No, it isn’t.’ As performers, we’re kind of trained to believe that we’re disposable, and so you have to be grateful for what you can get, because it’s such a competitive market.”

Whither the benefits?

Those voting to unionize are seeking health benefits and higher wages, among other issues. They argue that their pay has been stagnant for more than a decade, and they are not afforded health coverage or can collect sick leave. Some dancers are provided health coverage through employment elsewhere. If not, they pay for care out of pocket.

Representing an international brand, the performers are paid a base rate, which includes the performance and hanging out with customers for 15 minutes after the show. Photos are made available with guests for purchase, from which dancers receive less than a dollar.

There also is no additional compensation for using performers’ likeness for posters, billboards, cups, calendars, T-shirts, playing cards, nail files, magnets and any other promotional materials or merchandise. Rehearsals and promo events are paid the same minimal hourly rate.

Unions among us

At the moment, the “Equity community” in Las Vegas is formally represented by one show: “Menopause the Musical” at Harrah’s produced by Glist Entertainment founders Alan and Kathi Glist.

“We’re like the little mouse that roared, the only Equity show of about 160 in Las Vegas with Equity representation,” Alan Glist said. “When I think of any show to go union in Las Vegas, it would not be a male revue. I was pretty shocked, because Equity shows are usually scripted productions.”

The ill-fated “Jersey Boys” relaunch at Orleans Showroom was a split between Equity and a non-Equity cast and crew. The original show at Palazzo and later Paris Theater, which closed eight years ago, was an Equity production.

Equity represents some 51,000 professional actors and stage managers on Broadway and in live theatre across the United States.

The Chipps fallout

The Chipps’ move to Equity status could trigger a series of similar efforts in shows across Las Vegas. Such production companies as Cirque du Soleil, Spiegelworld and Adam Steck’s SPI Entertainment lineup (which has “Thunder” on its roster) are non-union. But none of these casts have formally moved to organize.

Nationally, Equity also represents strip-club employees, and also Disneyland character performers. Las Vegas is rife with club performers, and atmospheric entertainers (Area15 is expanding by 35 acres, for instance), eligible to seek Equity status.

“Las Vegas is a world-class entertainment city, so Equity was the right fit for us,” Godinez said. “We want to change the whole landscape of the entertainment industry.”