PHILADELPHIA — Several dozen models who pose in the nude for art students have formed a union and are agitating for higher wages and improved benefits. The fledgling Philadelphia Models Guild also wants a place to change other than in the bathroom, a place to hang street clothes and a screen for privacy in the classroom. Cushioned floor pads wouldn't hurt, either. ''By uniting together, we could become regarded more as professionals and not as unskilled people off the street,'' said model Tomas Dura, a flamenco dancer. Most professional artists' models in the Philadelphia area — a group estimated to be in the hundreds — make between $9.50 and $12 an hour. The models guild wants an hourly wage of $15, with some benefits, said Claire Hankins, one of the leaders of the group.
===== Kevin Dean Buffalo, NY ICQ: 8616001 AIM: KDean75206 Buffalo Activist Network http://www.buffaloactivist.net http://www.yaysoft.com
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com