The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to recognize their cheerleading team’s new union.
According to a release from the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Association, the NFL organization has agreed to recognize DCCA as the collective bargaining representative for the cheerleading team.
The move makes the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders the first known squad on an NFL team to unionize.
The Cowboys cheerleaders are one of the most famous dance groups in the United States. They were featured in the Netflix series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders which released its third season in June.
In the second season of the series (with Angelique Jackson of Variety), Megan McElaney revealed in the latest episode that a group of veteran cheerleaders contacted Cowboys officials to negotiate new contracts.
“We ended up getting a 400 percent raise, which was life-changing,” McElaney said.
McElaney has since retired from the Cowboys cheerleading squad after five seasons.
A 2022 report from NBC Sports Boston’s Kristen Conti indicated they made between $15 and $20 per hour and around $75,000 per year. That amount would have been before the pay raise McElaney talked about.
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were established in 1961, a year after the team’s inaugural season. Their team consists of 36 members, including Kelli Finglass as director and Judy Tramell as choreographer.
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