Montreal Strippers Plan Strike During Busy F1 Weekend

May 24th is a major date for motorsport enthusiasts. The Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix are all scheduled for the same day. For those in Montreal, particularly strippers working around the F1 race, it marks one of the year’s busiest weekends.

This heightened activity is precisely why many strippers are considering a strike. The Sex Work Autonomous Commission (SWAC) aims to use the expected influx of business to highlight their ongoing struggle for recognition and rights as employees rather than independent contractors, similar in some ways to plumbers.

In a statement, SWAC articulated their position: “As strippers, we are viewed as independent contractors, which places us in a similar category as, for instance, a plumber you hire to fix something in your home. Independent contractors like plumbers are accountable only to themselves, whereas strippers bear the responsibility of club management, impacting their livelihood.”

The planned strike draws attention to the plight of Montreal’s strippers on a remarkable weekend. It’s pretty intriguing. While I’ve never been to Montreal, I find myself more informed about the realities of stripper employment than I initially realized.

Using major sporting events to shed light on labor issues is a common strategy. However, Montreal faces another potential snag. The local hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, is one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals.

Should the Canadiens win their upcoming game against the Buffalo Sabres, the next round’s Game 3 will coincide with the F1’s Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on May 24th. This could complicate the weekend’s atmosphere even further—perhaps leading to a rather unusual scene in Montreal.