Workers’ Rights and Intellectual Property

Sex workers at Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel in Pahrump, Nevada, have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize as the United Brothel Workers, in what could become the first recognized sex‑worker union in the United States. Represented by the Communications Workers of America, a majority of the brothel’s roughly 74 'courtesans' say a new independent‑contractor agreement issued in December would give the brothel perpetual, royalty‑free rights to use their images and other material worldwide and even grant power of attorney, making it harder to leave the industry or control how their likeness is used. Workers Jupiter Jetson and Molly Wylder say management told them to 'sign or leave,' that some signed under duress, and that three workers — including Jetson — were fired after management learned of the organizing drive, terminations the union is now challenging. Sheri’s Ranch spokesman Jeremy Lemur said the brothel respects workers’ right to express views on workplace structure and is focused on providing a 'safe, lawful and professionally managed environment,' but did not answer specific questions about the contract or firings. Labor lawyers note the case could force the NLRB to address whether legal sex workers treated as independent contractors are actually employees with organizing rights, setting precedent for a stigmatized yet regulated sector that operates openly only in parts of Nevada but has national implications for how far U.S. labor law reaches.