Edit your articles title and subtitle

Edit Your Business Article

Upload a Cover Image

Question 1

JH: Thank you each, so much for taking the time to sit with us, and congratulations on all of the work you and everyone involved have put into getting this resolution approved. Before we dive into what happened in Las Vegas and why it matters, could you share a little about yourself, the work you do, how you became involved in this effort, and why advocating for people working within the sex industry is something you’re so passionate about?

Response 1 - Use a conversational tone, as though we are sitting and having a conversation.

JJ: I’m Jupiter Jetson, porn actress and brothel worker of eight years at Sheri’s Ranch until my abrupt termination in early February, when I was fired 24 hours after the corporate office received notice of voluntary recognition of the union I had helped organize in the face of incredibly exploitive new contracts. These contracts claimed full ownership of our power of attorney, our name/image/likeness, and any intellectual property using that name- past, present, and in perpetuity. After the Communications Workers of America (Local 9413) brought us in I realized just how much all sex workers could benefit from organizing.

ME: My name is Marc Ellis. I’m the president of CWA Local 9413. The reason I’m involved and passionate about this is that I believe all legal work should be treated with dignity. Because of this our local was more than willing to help organize UBW

____

Not present for the interview: Maxine Doogan is an American sex worker, social justice and politics expert and advocate, documentarian, artist, author and media personality. For 30+ years, Maxine has regularly traveled across the U.S and abroad, providing erotic services, and working to protect and enhance the rights and conditions of sex workers.

Maxine help found the Erotic Services Provider Union (ESPU), a labor rights approach sex worker rights group, the ESPLER Project which led a historic federal constitutional challenge to the anti-prostitution law in California, and Community United For Safety and Protection (CUSP), an Alaska based group of current and former sex workers, sex trafficking victims and allies, working towards the safety and protection for all in Alaska’s sex trade which also has a legal challenge to the state anti-prostitution law.

Question 2

JH: The headline here is pretty remarkable: the Nevada State AFL-CIO unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the right of sex workers and erotic service providers to organize and collectively bargain. But I imagine getting to that vote involved considerably more work than readers see in a press release. Can you take us behind the scenes? Where did the idea for this resolution begin, what had to happen to get it in front of the convention, and what was going through your mind when you realized it had passed unanimously?

Response 2 - Use a conversational tone, as though we are sitting and having a conversation.

Upload up to 30 Images

Question 3

JH: One thing that really caught our attention at Only Fans Insider is how deliberately broad the resolution is. It doesn't only address workers in Nevada's legal brothels; it specifically includes strippers, adult performers, webcam performers, phone-sex operators, erotic massage providers and even online content creators. Why was it important to explicitly bring all of those workers under the same umbrella, and what could organized labor potentially offer someone working independently online who may never have thought of themselves as part of a traditional labor movement?

Response 3 - Use a conversational tone, as though we are sitting and having a conversation.

Question 4

JH: The resolution also puts some very serious workplace issues on the record: wage theft, worker misclassification, coercive fees, sexual harassment and assault, unsafe conditions, and workers being unable to meaningfully negotiate the terms under which they work. At the same time, many people in this industry genuinely value their independence and consider themselves entrepreneurs rather than employees. Where do you see the distinction between protecting that independence and ensuring that “independent contractor” doesn't become a label that can be used to deny someone basic workplace protections or bargaining power?

Response 4 - Use a conversational tone, as though we are sitting and having a conversation.

MD: I'm not worried about sex industry workers losing their independence. We're a pretty special group of people and we’ve parlayed our talents into a living. Unionizing is about expanding our agency. No employer or anyone we contract with is going to take away our agency. 
JJ: Something I’ve noticed in a lot of conversations I’ve had with workers in adult is that there is a lot of misinformation about what an employee/employer relationship looks like in adult. Different establishments offer different doomsday scenarios about what that looks like for workers- brothel owners always threaten set prices- but in actuality most of us are already working under an employee-employer set up, and the only thing that would meaningfully change is that we would have the right to negotiate things like financial splits, required hours, and deceptive fees with the company (without fear of retaliation) and the company would be required to pay their fair share of our tax burden.

Being an independent contractor doesn’t just mean independence in choosing what you wear, who you see, or when you log on- it also means getting to decide how much of your money you get to keep, how clients contact you, how you promote yourself, and how clients pay you. Do your clients pay a company, and that company then pays you? You are probably not an independent contractor, you’re just on the hook for the bill.

ME: What we really want is to protect everyone that wants to be protected. The NLRA and state law help define the differences between true ICs and people being exploited under the guise of IC status, we don’t choose that.
 We want to say that if you believe you are being ripped off and treated like an employee, the Communications Workers of America are here for you, and we can help guide people through the process of getting what an employee actually should have.

Question 5

JH: There’s an interesting historical thread running through this story. The resolution points to the United Brothel Workers at Sheri’s Ranch, the organizing of dancers at Star Garden in Los Angeles, the Lusty Lady in San Francisco, and even Nevada sex workers’ relationship with organized labor going back more than a century. So is this resolution primarily symbolic recognition of something sex workers have been fighting for all along, or does it create tangible new opportunities? What can actually happen tomorrow that was more difficult—or perhaps impossible—before the Nevada AFL-CIO formally said, essentially, “you are workers, and you belong in the labor movement too”?

Response 5 - Use a conversational tone, as though we are sitting and having a conversation.

Question 6

JH: Well, again, congratulations on getting this passed, and thank you so much for taking the time to sit and share this story with us today. A resolution like this feels less like the end of something and more like the beginning of the next phase. Where do you believe this movement goes from here—not only for workers in Nevada's legal brothels, but for sex workers and online creators more broadly? And for someone reading this who wants to help, organize their own workplace, learn more, or simply support what you're building, how can they get involved and follow your journey?

Response 6 - Use a conversational tone, as though we are sitting and having a conversation.

Upload up to 30 Images

Upload Headshot

Public Display Info:

Bio:

Terms of Use & Policies Acknowledgment

Before submitting your article, please review and acknowledge the following:

By checking the box and submitting your article for review, you agree to comply with Only Fans Insider’s Terms of Use and Content Policies. Any violation of these guidelines—including but not limited to inappropriate content, prohibited language, or failure to meet editorial standards—may result in your article not being published.

No refunds will be issued for articles that are rejected due to policy violations.

Click Save/Update to send your article for review.

Groups

Articles

Edit your articles title and subtitle

Edit Your Business Article

Public Display Info:

Bio:

Terms of Use & Policies Acknowledgment