Key Facts

• The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association (DCCA) was voluntarily recognized by the Dallas Cowboys as the union for the cheerleaders.
• The cheerleaders will start collective bargaining with the team to improve pay and conditions.
• The cheerleaders have been seeking better wages for years, highlighted in a Netflix series about their lives.
• In 2018, cheerleader Erica Wilkins sued the team saying she earned about $15,000 per season, less than the male mascot.
• The second season of the Netflix show showed contract talks that led to a 400% pay raise, increasing hourly wages from $15 to $75 for some members.
• Despite the raise, the new contract did not include health insurance for the cheerleaders.
• The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were established in 1961 and are one of the most famous dance squads in the world.
• Other NFL cheerleader unions existed before, like the Buffalo Bills cheerleaders in the 1990s, but their union ended when the team’s cheerleading squad disbanded in 2014.