The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Have Unionized, and the Team Agreed to Recognize It

By The Arena Staff

FRISCO, Texas, Oct. 23, 2026 — The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have a union. The Cowboys agreed Friday to recognize the newly formed Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association (DCCA) as the squad's collective bargaining representative, the team and the union said in a joint statement, the AP reported. The two sides are set to begin collective bargaining.

The team recognized the union voluntarily, The Guardian reported, after what the statement called "meaningful discussion" between the organization and the DCCA. Tad Carper, the Cowboys' senior vice president of communications, confirmed the news to The Dallas Morning News, according to 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 said. "They remain one of the most sought-after opportunities for talented dancers worldwide."

## Years in the Making

The squad was founded in 1961, and its pay has drawn scrutiny for years, according to The Guardian.

In 2018, former cheerleader Erica Wilkins filed a federal lawsuit over pay. She said she averaged about $15,000 during her seasons with Dallas, according to The Guardian. The 2019 settlement doubled the squad's game-day pay from $200 to $400 and raised hourly wages to $12, NBC 5 reported.

The next big jump played out on camera. On the second season of Netflix's America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which aired in 2025, a cheerleader said the squad was getting a 400% pay boost, the AP reported. The Guardian said the hourly rate for some members went from $15 in the 2024 season to $75. A third season of the series came out in June.

That deal didn't settle everything. One squad member told The New York Times that while the new contract raised game-day pay, it didn't include health insurance, The Guardian reported.

## Not the First

The DCCA isn't the first cheerleader union in the NFL. In 1995, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that the Buffalo Bills' cheerleaders, the Buffalo Jills, could unionize, according to The Guardian. That union didn't last, and the Jills disbanded in 2014.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, are the world's most valuable sports team, according to Forbes, the AP reported. The Guardian put the franchise's value at $17 billion.

## What's Next

Contract talks come next. Neither side has said what the DCCA will ask for or when bargaining will start. The AP said it couldn't reach a contact for the union on Friday.

> What We Know
> - The news: The Cowboys recognized the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as the squad's union
> - How: Voluntary recognition, announced in a joint statement Friday
> - Next step: Collective bargaining on a contract
> - Pay history: A 2019 lawsuit settlement doubled game-day pay to $400, and a cheerleader said on Netflix's series in 2025 that the squad was getting a 400% raise
> - Squad size: 36 members, per The Guardian
> - Not the first: The NLRB said the Buffalo Jills could unionize in 1995

Reported by AP News, The Guardian and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, with the AP report also carried by ESPN.

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<small>Photo: Michael Barera.jpg), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (2019 file photo).</small>