The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Have a Union, and the Cowboys Recognized It

Cowboys Nation, the most famous cheer squad in sports just made labor history.

The Cowboys have agreed to recognize the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as the collective bargaining representative for the DCC, both sides said in a joint statement Friday, per ESPN. The two sides now move to bargaining for a contract. Cowboys senior vice president of communications Tad Carper confirmed the union, per NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.

"The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization, deeply respected for the talent and dedication they exhibit," the statement read. "They remain one of the most sought-after opportunities for talented dancers worldwide."

**Our Take:** Good. The team recognized the union voluntarily instead of fighting it, and that's the right call for a franchise whose cheerleaders are as much a part of the brand as the star on the helmet. This has been building for years: a former cheerleader's lawsuit was settled in 2019 and doubled the per-game pay to $400, and during season two of Netflix's "America's Sweethearts" a cheerleader said the squad was getting a 400% raise, per ESPN.

The squad has 36 active members, though it's not yet clear how many the union will represent, per NBC News. NBC News called it believed to be the first union among pro cheer squads since the Buffalo Jills' short-lived effort in the 1990s.

It lands one month after we said goodbye to Dee Brock, the founding director who built the DCC, per CBS News Texas. Today's squad is still standing on what she started.

What to watch: how many members the DCCA represents, and what the first contract says about pay.

Sources: ESPN, NBC News, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, AP News, CBS News Texas