Nevada Brothel Courtesans Try to Make History — They Want a Union, and They Mean Business

With input from AP and the Nevada Independent.

A group of sex workers at one of the state’s oldest licensed brothels just filed to organize, aiming to become the first US brothel staff to unionize.

A majority of the 74 courtesans at Sheri’s Ranch signed a petition with the Communications Workers of America and asked the National Labor Relations Board to move the effort forward. The drive, organizers say, was triggered by a December contract managers handed to workers that would give the business sweeping control over performers’ content and likenesses.

“We want the same things any other worker wants — a safe, respectful workplace,” said Jupiter Jetson, who uses a stage name and asked to keep her legal name private to avoid harassment.

She and others told organizers the new terms would let the brothel use photos, videos and other material forever, even if a worker leaves — the kind of clause that could let someone’s image be resold or turned into AI content without a cut going to the person in the footage.

Another worker, Molly Wylder, said the terms make it harder to leave the industry and try something else. For many, she said, the job is temporary — a way to pay off student loans or build a safety net — not a lifetime sentence.

Management pushed back. The resort’s communications director, Jeremy Lemur, told reporters the brothel respects workers’ views but defended the long-standing industry practice of using independent-contractor agreements and running the operation as a resort. Organizers say when they asked for changes or more time, they were pressured to sign. Since the drive began, union lawyers say at least three workers were fired; the union is seeking emergency relief and rehiring through the labor board.

A big legal hurdle is classification. Brothel managers insist courtesans are independent contractors; the workers argue their schedules, house rules, minimum fees and the fact the brothel takes half their pay look a lot more like employment. That distinction matters — employees have broader collective-bargaining rights than contractors.

“All workers are guaranteed certain human decencies and dignities, and the right to organize is one of those,” said Marc Ellis, who’s leading the local organizing push.

Experts say success will depend on the facts the labor board sees: who sets hours, who controls marketing, whether workers can truly set their own terms. Barb Brents, a scholar who’s studied Nevada’s legal trade, called the movement “significant” — both because it challenges stigma and because it’s unusually public for an industry that typically stays quiet.

The issues aren’t purely local. With many courtesans also making money from online platforms, protecting intellectual property has become central — platforms like OnlyFans turned personal content into a major revenue stream for independent creators, so control over one’s image matters more than ever. Workers worry that blanket licensing clauses could let a brothel sell or re-use content, or even seed AI replicas of their faces, long after a performer leaves.

There’s precedent for adult-industry organizing, but few wins. Union efforts at a Los Angeles topless bar and the famed San Francisco club Lusty Lady showed what’s possible — and how fragile that progress can be. Organizers point to those cases as proof that sex-industry workers can organize when they want to.

Organizers at the brothel have published a simple platform: safety on the job, fair contracts, control over likeness and better working conditions. If the labor board rules they’re employees and a vote goes their way, the resort could recognize the union and bargain immediately. If it doesn’t, expect a fight in court and in the court of public opinion.

“This isn’t about shame or politics,” Jetson said. “I loved my job. I want to keep doing it — but on terms where I own my image and can control my future.”

Whether they win or lose, the effort is already reshaping conversations in a state that uniquely legalizes brothel work: workers are no longer invisible, and they’re asking for the same workplace protections other employees take for granted.