GoKawiilDallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Union Gains Official Recognition From Team
The Dallas Cowboys have formally recognized the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as the squad's collective bargaining representative, the two sides said in a joint statement. The move follows a roughly 400% pay raise for cheerleaders ahead of the 2025 season, though the increase did not include health insurance. The squad now holds the NFL's only active cheerleader union, after the Buffalo Jills' 1995 union dissolved along with the team.
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The recognition comes after sustained public scrutiny of cheerleader pay, amplified by Netflix's documentary series on the squad and reporting that some cheerleaders earned as little as $15 an hour plus per-appearance fees as recently as 2024. Formal union recognition could give cheerleaders a structured path to negotiate benefits like health insurance that the recent raise excluded, and may set a precedent other NFL franchises face pressure to address.
- The Cowboys organization officially recognized the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as its bargaining representative.
- Cheerleaders got a 400% pay raise before the 2025 season, but it excluded health insurance.
- This is the NFL's only currently active cheerleader union, following the earlier Buffalo Jills union's dissolution.
Source: entrepreneur.com — Jonathan Small, 2026-10-30
Published there as: “After a 400% Raise, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Are Unionizing”
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