This story is adapted from an original article from May 13, 2026 in URBANIA, an online magazine based in Quebec focused on pop culture and society.
As the Formula 1 weekend draws near, a planned strike among sex workers is dividing the industry. At the heart of the dispute is the ‘bar service fee’ that strippers must pay clubs at every shift for the right to take the stage.
In late April, URBANIA reported that the Sex Work Autonomous Committee (SWAC) was planning a strike on May 23 to demand better working conditions and the abolition of the bar service fee, calling for a return to hourly wages in strip clubs.
Now, a group of queer and racialized strippers called Pleasers on the Ground (named after their platform heels) has formed in response to that strike. They're adamant that the bar service fee isn't the problem—it's a guarantee of their autonomy, and a protection for the industry's most vulnerable workers.
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