Montreal sex workers target F1 weekend strike

The Sex Work Autonomous Committee plans to strike in Montreal on 23 May, targeting Canadian Grand Prix weekend in a bid to force clubs to address labor protections, bar fees and safety during what it says is the most profitable period of the year for owners.

Reuters reported the group chose the date deliberately because it falls on the eve of the grand prix and during the sprint-race schedule. In a statement, SWAC said, “We think the grand prix is the best time to strike. The clubs are at their busiest, making it the most lucrative period of the year for our boss. This is our chance to threaten that income and affect them when it hurts the most.”

The group says conditions worsen when Formula 1 arrives in the city. SWAC said dancers face “increased bar fees, overbooking and generally worse working conditions” during the event, even as management benefits from the surge in business. It also cited figures from last year, claiming one Montreal club charged $110 per night across five nights of F1 events and, with an average of 60 dancers each night, took in about $33,000 from bar fees alone.

At the center of the dispute is worker status. SWAC argues that dancers are treated as independent contractors while still being required to follow schedules, dress requirements and other workplace rules, leaving them without the protections given to salaried employees. The group said that reality leaves workers “clearly trapped in an employer/employee power dynamic,” and argued that the bar-fee model benefits only club owners.

Céleste Ivy, a Montreal dancer and member of the Comité autonome du travail du sexe, told the Montreal Gazette, “Since we're not salaried employees, we don't have access to the protections that other workers usually have.”

SWAC also said clubs have “every incentive to bring in as many dancers as possible each night to maximise their profits,” while giving little attention to workplace safety and leaving workers to handle those risks themselves.

The pressure point is the scale of the grand prix itself. Reuters noted that 352,000 people attended the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, one of Montreal’s biggest tourism surges of the year, giving the planned action its strongest leverage at the moment clubs stand to make the most money.