After a 400% Raise, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Are Unionizing

Collective bargaining is next for the iconic squad that, as recently as 2024, earned just $15 an hour. By Jonathan Small | edited by Dan Bova | Oct 30, 2026 It’s been a winning week for the Dallas Cowboys. A few days before the team beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-21 on Monday Night Football, its cheerleaders announced that the franchise had officially recognized their union. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association will now serve as the squad’s collective bargaining representative, according to NBC News. “The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization, deeply respected for the talent and dedication they exhibit,” the two sides said in a joint statement. The Buffalo Jills unionized in 1995, but the squad later disbanded, making the Cowboys squad’s union the only active one in the NFL. Pay has been a fumble for years, and Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” put it in the spotlight. Before the 2025 season, the cheerleaders received a 400% pay raise, though it didn’t include health insurance. Veteran cheerleader Jada McLean told The New York Times she made $15 an hour and $500 per appearance in 2024. In the 1990s, the squad made as little as $15 a game, according to The Dallas Morning News. It’s been a winning week for the Dallas Cowboys. A few days before the team beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-21 on Monday Night Football, its cheerleaders announced that the franchise had officially recognized their union. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association will now serve as the squad’s collective bargaining representative, according to NBC News. “The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are an esteemed part of the Cowboys organization, deeply respected for the talent and dedication they exhibit,” the two sides said in a joint statement. The Buffalo Jills unionized in 1995, but the squad later disbanded, making the Cowboys squad’s union the only active one in the NFL. Pay has been a fumble for years, and Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” put it in the spotlight. Before the 2025 season, the cheerleaders received a 400% pay raise, though it didn’t include health insurance. Veteran cheerleader Jada McLean told The New York Times she made $15 an hour and $500 per appearance in 2024. In the 1990s, the squad made as little as $15 a game, according to The Dallas Morning News.