Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Form Union and Will Bargain With Team
The Dallas Cowboys and their cheerleaders jointly announced Friday that the team will recognize the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as the squad's bargaining representative, after years of disputes over pay.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have formed a union, and the team will bargain with it.
The cheerleaders and the team jointly announced Friday, October 23, the creation of a labor union representing the cheerleaders that will collectively bargain with the team. The Cowboys are recognizing the union, and the new, independent group is called the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association, according to USA Today Sports.
“The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization, deeply respected for the talent and dedication they exhibit,” the announcement read. “They remain one of the most sought-after opportunities for talented dancers worldwide.”
A pay dispute that played out in public
The cheerleaders have recently been featured on the Netflix docuseries “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.” Season 2 chronicled the dancers’ quest for improved salaries, with The Dallas Morning News reporting that the cheerleaders said they were due a 400% raise for the 2025 season, according to USA Today Sports. In 2024, The New York Times reported that a fifth-year cheerleader made $15 per hour and $500 for each appearance.
According to a joint statement provided to the Associated Press on Friday, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association is now being recognized as the collective bargaining representative for the cheer squad. Virginia Commonwealth University professor Victor Chen, who spoke to the Associated Press, said that without the attention from the show, the team may have tried to replace the cheerleaders.
“You see a lot of that inequality of compensation in any sort of artistic or entertainment field where you have lots of people clamoring to get into it and maybe being unpaid or very poorly paid to do so,” Chen said.
What comes next, and what came before
The two sides are now set to begin collective bargaining, which will cover pay and working conditions. The Cowboys had no further comment when contacted by USA Today Sports.
This is not the first cheerleading union in professional football. In 1995, the Buffalo Bills’ group, the “Jills,” won a ruling with the National Labor Relations Board to become the first union representing cheerleading squads, according to USA Today Sports. The Jills disbanded in 2014 amid claims of mistreatment and underpay. In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader who accused them of paying her less than minimum wage, according to Fox 4 News.
Reporting based on coverage by USA Today Sports and Fox 4 News, reporting from the Associated Press.
