The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to recognize the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ new union, the organization said in a statement.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association (DCCA) will now be the collective bargaining representative for the DCC.
Tad Carper, the Cowboys’ senior vice president of communications, confirmed the union to our partners at The Dallas Morning News.
This comes after several years of the cheerleaders contesting low wages.
In 2025, the cheerleaders received a 400% raise, years after current and former members drew attention to compensation inequities.
Erica Wilkins, a former cheerleader, sued the Cowboys in 2018 over unfair pay. The lawsuit led to a 2019 settlement that doubled the squad’s game-day rate from $200 to $400 and raised hourly wages to $12.
The team’s cheerleaders have been a global brand fixture for more than 60 years, often cited as the gold standard in NFL cheerleading.
