NFL 2026
League October 24, 2026 · Touchdown Week Staff

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Unionize; Team Agrees to Recognize Their Association

The Cowboys will bargain with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association after years of disputes over pay. The squad doubled per-game pay to $400 after a 2019 settlement.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have unionized, and the team has agreed to recognize the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as their collective bargaining representative, the two sides said in a joint statement Friday.

Why now?

After years of fights over pay. A 2019 settlement with a former cheerleader led the squad to double per-game pay to $400, and the second season of Netflix's "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" brought the issue to a wider audience. Victor Chen, a Virginia Commonwealth University labor scholar, said the squad's profile and the show likely helped it organize.

What did the team say?

The statement called the cheerleaders "an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization" who are "deeply respected for the talent and dedication they exhibit." The Buffalo Jills were the first NFL squad to unionize, after a 1995 labor board ruling; they later disbanded after a 2014 lawsuit over unpaid hours and harassment. The terms the Dallas group will seek have not been disclosed.

Sources

  • ESPN: Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders unionize, will begin collective bargaining

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Published October 24, 2026 Touchdown Week Staff