Sisters Doing It for Themselves

Dancers at the Lusty Lady in San Francisco, the nation's only unionized strippers, have seized the means of production. After the strip club's former owners decided to close up shop, 60 dancers and support staff took over the peep show as a cooperative. "It is our bodies out there, and we should be able to keep the profits," said Sybil, 26, a dancer of seven years and one of the new owners. The buyout came after a successful contract battle earlier this year to win better wages. The strippers, now paid $15 to $27 an hour, say they're just chasing the American dream like everyone else. "It doesn't seem weird to me at all," said dancer Tiamata. "Everybody wants a little bit more of the pie in any industry."