The majority of the 74 sex workers at Pahrump-based legal brothel Sheri's Ranch have filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as the United Brothel Workers (UBW) affiliate of the Nevada-based Communications Workers of America Local 9413. This is a historic first in the only state that permits legal sex work. The union faces a challenge as Nevada's sex workers have historically been classified as independent contractors and not employees. To be officially recognized by both the NLRB and Sheri’s Ranch, union members must convince the NLB that their working conditions qualify them as employees under existing labor law. The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) defines the "ABC test" as a method of determining if someone is an independent contractor, with one requirement being that the person has been free from control or direction over the performance of the services.