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 . “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 . “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.