Why dont porn stars have unions?

[Guy]

Why dont porn stars have unions?

 

[KylieJacobs]

Haha, I thought it said unicorns at first.

Cam girls don't really need unions since we are independent. It would just be another place to give money to. The only benefit that I can think of would be medical insurance, but that could get complicated since girls are not only all across the US, but also all around the world.

Just for the record... we don't have unicorns either.


edit: I obviously need to go to bed. You said porn stars not cam girls. Man!

 

[mutantdonut]

Haha, I thought it said unicorns at first.

I initially misread it as "why don't porn stars have onions?"

neither of us are particularly sharp right now

 

[missrosexox]

Why dont porn stars have unions?

We do. It's the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Sex Trade Workers Industrial Union (IU) 690:

All workers employed as dancers and models, telephone sex workers, actors and other workers who use sexuality as the primary tool of their trade (excluding all agents of the boss class able to hire or fire, or possessing equivalent coercive or punitive power). ​

There's also an associated but independent organization in San Francisco called the Erotic Service Providers Union:

by and for those who labor erotically to gain agency through industrial organizing for our occupational, social, and economic rights through affiliating with organized labor.​

 

[Guy]

We do. It's the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Sex Trade Workers Industrial Union (IU) 690:

All workers employed as dancers and models, telephone sex workers, actors and other workers who use sexuality as the primary tool of their trade (excluding all agents of the boss class able to hire or fire, or possessing equivalent coercive or punitive power). ​

There's also an associated but independent organization in San Francisco called the Erotic Service Providers Union:

by and for those who labor erotically to gain agency through industrial organizing for our occupational, social, and economic rights through affiliating with organized labor.​

can they strike?

 

[missrosexox]

can they strike?

Of course! Any worker can strike, even independent contractors.

 

[Kotik29]

I don't think porn stars hate their jobs enough to have unions.

 

[missrosexox]

What a bizarre way to think about labor rights lmfao

 

[Guy]

I don't think porn stars hate their jobs enough to have unions.

A lot of teachers have unions. Being in a union does not always mean you hate your job.

 

[Kotik29]

Sorry, I read the question as a joke. In all seriousness I just don't think it would work to the advantage in such an industry.

 

[Kotik29]

A lot of teachers have unions. Being in a union does not always mean you hate your job.

P.s. What the hell do I know? I've never been in a union. I've only ever been around people who are complaining about them.

Didn't mean to offend.

 

[VeronicaChaos]

P.s. What the hell do I know? I've never been in a union. I've only ever been around people who are complaining about them.

Didn't mean to offend.

same. I've only heard about unions making things way more difficult. It's just another third party to go through, more red tape, less leveraging power (because that's the unions job)...what a fucking hassle. I trust myself to negotiate far more than I do some third party, and I trust who I negotiate with to fare better going directly to me as well. I really don't want some organization telling me what I can and cannot do and setting my prices for me.

Don't even get me started on how much they can fuck over independent film-makers that can't afford to pay standard wages to their talent and thus hire people who consent to the terms only to be intervened by the SAG who preys on talent and prices them out of production.

 

[Kotik29]

Yeah I really wasn't trying to be an asshole. The closest I've been to a union is two different ex boyfriends one in the construction and the other auto parts business. Both of them hated the union workers because they felt taken advantage of and rivaled against an elite.

Plus everyone jokes about unions. I kind of assumed they were mostly garbage. I mean teachers, yeah I can understand that, but teachers still don't get paid enough in mine and many others opinion so I don't think the union structure is quite working...

And *inserts foot in mouth once again*

 

[missrosexox]

I'm neutral about unions, but I support labor organizing.

There are many advantages to labor organizing in our industry. Exploitation is wide-spread, and many sex workers are legally entitled to federal and state wage requirements, sick leave, worker's compensation, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, anti-assault protections, unemployment, and wage theft protections, to name a few.

It's a complicated issue. And I'm super sleepy so I'm gonna leave this for now and go catch some z's: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/11/2606691/strippers-independent-contractors/

 

[Kotik29]

I'm neutral about unions, but I support labor organizing.

There are many advantages to labor organizing in our industry. Exploitation is wide-spread, and many sex workers are legally entitled to federal and state wage requirements, sick leave, worker's compensation, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, anti-assault protections, unemployment, and wage theft protections, to name a few.

It's a complicated issue. And I'm super sleepy so I'm gonna leave this for now and go catch some z's: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/11/2606691/strippers-independent-contractors/

Ah, ok, well yes of course I support that, I'm sleepy as well so maybe I'm reading it wrong but it sounds like basic legal employment rights. "Union" is just a bit of a loaded word doncha think?

 

[Poison_Ivy21]

It's not like we don't already have committees and organizations that lobby for performer rights and such.

http://apac-usa.com

The only things I see unions being useful for would be health insurance. What do we need unions for, Guy?

 

[missrosexox]

It's not like we don't already have committees and organizations that lobby for performer rights and such.

http://apac-usa.com

The only things I see unions being useful for would be health insurance. What do we need unions for, Guy?

APAC is an advocacy group, not a trade union. The main difference is that advocacy groups interface with the public and trade unions work directly with workers. So APAC will do a public education campaign and testify at public hearings, but they don't do collective bargaining and they're not set up to directly help workers who are exploited. APAC can develop standards for best practices in the industry (and hope employers choose to follow them lol), but unions negotiate the actual labor contracts.

 

[JickyJuly]

Unions are great things. Unfortunately, American laws lean so heavily toward giving all breaks to big business that unions end up as scapegoats with tied hands. I'm not sure how a union would really come together for the porn industry and be useful though. Tough sell.

 

[HiGirlsRHot]

I think the Screen Actors Guild (SAG/AFTRA) does pretty well for its members. (Although Veronica is right they make life hard for struggling Indie film makers). While getting pensions, health care and a minimum wage are probably impossible in a global industry. It seems to me that somethings they have achieved with respect royalties and residues would translate well into the porn/cam world.

Now it's probably not possible for Stoya to get residual payments every time somebody streams one of her blowjobs. However, the practice of porn companies paying talent for a scene and then using it numerous other times in compilation or best of films could be something a porn actor union. A similar thing exists in the cam world, where all the sites have unlimited rights to use your work for anything else with no compensation. Currently, this is a primarily a problem with SM and other similar sites.
However, I can easily imagine in 10 or 15 years when some former cam model becomes famous for something mainstream, and the next thing that happens is there is a SexSen8 VR doll (TM) using their former cam shows/privates to provide the ultimate porn experience.
One of the most outrageous things that is standard on camsite contracts is camgirl indemnifying the sites. So for instance if the NFL decide to sue Olivia for showing the Superbowl, the NFL will undoubtedly also name MFC as a defendant. This means that not only does Olivia have to pay her own legal fees, but also MFCs and any damages.
A union could make these contracts far less one sided.
I generally think that companies/industries only get unions when they deserve them. The porn industry deserves them IMO.

 

[Anatevka]

What a bizarre way to think about labor rights lmfao

Laboring, erotically.