10 dancers of defunct Club Jama file lawsuit

Ten dancers of the defunct Club Jama filed yesterday a lawsuit in federal court against their former employers for allegedly failing to pay their overtime compensation.

The complaints are Aileen C. Alanan, Gerlie Albuna, April G. Alfonso, Jenny Solomon, Aiza Y. Garcia, Doricel Lemorinas, Mary Grace Manguiob, Raquel A. Ramos, Reah Carascal Rodriguez, and Merarcy P. Templado.

The plaintiffs sued Chanpac Inc., owner of the former Club Jama, and Chanpac officers Ernest J. Strange and his wife, Thelma Strange, for breach of contract.

The Strange couple reportedly currently reside in Tennessee.

The plaintiffs, through counsel Colin M. Thompson, asked the U.S. District Court for the NMI to order the Stranges to pay the ex-dancers’ overtime compensation, damages, attorney’s fees, and court costs.

Thompson stated in the complaint that his clients, as dancers at Club Jama in Susupe, were required to wear certain clothing as uniform while working at Club Jama.

The defendants, the lawyer said, deducted the cost of the uniforms from the dancers’ wages without the consent of the employees.

“As part of their duties as dancers for Club Jama, plaintiffs were to encourage customers to order and consume ‘ladies drinks.’ If a plaintiff did not make their quota of ladies drink, defendants forced them to work on their days off until they made quota,” Thompson said.

He alleged that the defendants forced the dancers to dance for events and functions outside and in addition to their normal hours of work at the club.

The defendants, Thompson said, also forced the dancers to attend involuntary training sessions outside of and in addition to their normal hours of work at Club Jama.

“At times, plaintiffs were confined to their barracks. When plaintiffs had free time, the plaintiffs’ free time was severely restricted,” he said.

Thompson said the defendants violated the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay the plaintiffs overtime compensation.

He said the defendants also failed to maintain full and accurate records of the hours actually worked by plaintiffs as required by FLSA.

In December 2007, police and Labor investigators raided the barracks of Club Jama in Chalan Piao and rescued six dancers who were allegedly being falsely imprisoned.

But seven then employees of Club Jama, including a dancer, later denied the allegations by their co-workers that they were being imprisoned in their barracks.

As of yesterday, the Strange couple have not been charged in court.