Dallas Cowboys Recognize Cheerleaders’ New Union: 36 Members Gain a Bargaining Representative
On Friday, October 23, 2026, the Dallas Cowboys and the newly formed Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association issued a joint statement in which the team formally recognized the association as the cheerleaders' collective bargaining representative. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the association has 36 members.
The statement puts one of America's most famous professional football cheerleading squads on the path to unionization, with the association set to negotiate pay, working conditions and other issues on the members' behalf. Pro cheerleading unions are not without precedent: the Buffalo Bills' cheerleaders voted to unionize as early as 1995.
Workload, rehearsal hours and pay for professional cheerleaders have drawn growing attention in recent years, and the Cowboys cheerleaders' unionization is seen as a landmark in that trend. The team and the association confirmed the recognition in their joint statement but announced no bargaining timetable; the two sides will next negotiate a collective bargaining agreement.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：达拉斯市中心黄昏。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons（自由授权）。 / Photo: Downtown Dallas at dusk, via Wikimedia Commons (free license).
