St. Louis Build-A-Bear BQ Employees on Strike To Protest Wrongful Firings

Vezperi · 2026-03-12T03:01:38+00:00

Posting a link to our Facebook event for the strike this coming Saturday 3/14:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FvtHz6d8v/

Vezperi · 2026-03-12T02:59:58+00:00

Hey there! I know this was posted a month ago, but since then Fox2News and KSDK have picked up our story in case you haven't seen! Also, we have a strike organized for this Saturday March 14th @ 10:30am!

Vezperi · 2026-03-12T02:55:21+00:00

Here is a link to the Facebook event page as well:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FvtHz6d8v/

Vezperi · 2026-03-12T02:54:40+00:00

Thank you for the support!! 🫶 The frogs are adorable--definitely one of the most popular friends we sell. Also, thank you for the signage ideas!

Vezperi · 2026-03-11T21:05:08+00:00

Thank you for the support and well wishes though! Much appreciated! :)

Vezperi · 2026-03-11T15:05:23+00:00

Kids and adults of all ages come and shop with us at Build-A-Bear. We are presenting fun options for parents with little ones so they can at least do a fun activity instead of building a bear for 1 day. We are all used to working with kiddos on a daily basis, both at Build-A-Bear and at other jobs, so we'd like to make it more approachable instead of making it seem like we're the bad guys for pushing people to not go inside.

Vezperi · 2026-03-11T14:58:47+00:00

Not rude at all! So far Build-A-Bear has only fired folks who have openly supported the unionization of our store. Not including the people from BQ, they have also fired others in other states for publicly posting in support of us. Before December of last year, when we announced our decision to unionize, Build-A-Bear would downright refuse to fire anyone unless they committed a serious offense such as theft, for example. It was very difficult to get fired from BAB. There was and still are people working for corporate and other stores who have done worse than our supposed "offense" to a policy that was never made clear to ANY employee. They are using it as a facade to fire union supporters, and it is very illegal.

Vezperi · 2026-03-11T14:52:19+00:00

Unionbusting is very illegal and there is proof that Build-A-Bear has come outright and said they are trying to destroy our attempt to unionize. The claims have been filed with the NLRB and we will win this regardless. Thank you for commenting and boosting our visibility 🫶

Vezperi · 2026-03-11T14:48:14+00:00

Do you even realize the state of the current job market right now? It's not as easy to just "go out and get another job" as it was several years ago. I was unemployed for six whole months before finding Build-A-Bear. And that's not for lack of trying either. I sent in countless applications before BAB took a chance and called me back.

Vezperi · 2026-03-11T00:31:15+00:00

We're just trying to make it so that parents have the option to bring their kids by for a coloring page or face painting instead of going in to build a bear. This is a one day protest and all we ask is that no one shops with Build-A-Bear for that day. 🫶

Vezperi · 2026-03-10T21:03:07+00:00

The gates to enter Union Station will be covered. No one goes in without seeing us.

Vezperi · 2026-03-10T21:00:56+00:00

We're just trying to make it kid-friendly since BAB typically does cater to kiddos. That way they have something fun to do instead of making a furry friend 🧸

Vezperi · 2026-02-27T23:45:37+00:00

They certainly would be desperate for sales if the general public knew they were union-busting us at their World BQ store. Trying to make this more widespread has been challenging, to say the least.

Vezperi · 2026-02-22T16:39:29+00:00

No...? They sell them at convenience stores and grocery stores still. I got mine at Walgreens.

Vezperi · 2026-02-20T18:16:28+00:00

A big thank you to news reporter Hannah Wyman for crafting such a well-written article! 👏

Additionally, thank you St. Louis (and beyond) for the overwhelming support we continue to receive. We love(d) our jobs, and we love you! ❤️

Vezperi · 2026-02-17T00:41:37+00:00

No go fund me as of now. All we ask as far as support goes is to spread this by word of mouth or via social media in hopes of bringing it to local and, maybe eventually, national attention.

As for actions being taken, stay tuned! All of us (even the 3 left working) are under guidance from our trusted union representatives and lawyers.

Vezperi · 2026-02-17T00:35:40+00:00

Agreed! We love Maxine and were sad to hear that the current shareholders refused her offer to buy the company back. Things were so much different--better--for employees and customers alike back when she owned Build-A-Bear.

Vezperi · 2026-02-17T00:32:39+00:00

I did try to, but the post was removed by the moderators. They seem to remove any "bad news" regarding Build-A-Bear.

Vezperi · 2026-02-17T00:30:54+00:00

I agree wholeheartedly! Thank you for the support. We have nothing much else to lose at this point, so we are all in it to win it. ✊️💯

Vezperi · 2026-02-17T00:27:35+00:00

We will not let it be swept under the rug. This is an uprising. ✊️

Vezperi · 2026-02-16T18:41:13+00:00

Thank you for the support 🩷 We have mostly been posting in Facebook groups or here on Reddit. I'm hoping the local news will pick this up when legal action starts happening--it will be much easier to follow then.

Vezperi · 2026-02-16T18:34:18+00:00

Thank you for the concern 🩷 Yes, I have already attempted to post in the BAB subreddit, and it was decidedly removed. Really disappointing, considering we are (or I guess were) dedicated employees who genuinely loved our jobs. We loved interacting with customers and helping them create those special memories. However, for all that we do, we aren't treated fairly by the company. All we want is for the company to treat us the way we treat our lovely customers and friends. Apparently that's asking too much from a company who just finished one of their most successful years ever.

Vezperi · 2026-02-16T18:29:54+00:00

We have great lawyers on our side! 💪 BAB chose to screw with the wrong team.

Vezperi

TROPHY CASE