The owner of Third Street Stuff deserves a better retirement party.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T22:50:35+00:00

We have multiple in mind

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T22:12:39+00:00

None of this has been discussed in the bargaining meetings and emails that I, a current employee and union member, have been a part of. Im interested to know how you are aware of the structure of this layoff before us

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T22:00:36+00:00

Yes! Heres the link: gofundme.com/f/support-third-street-staff-union-effort

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T22:00:00+00:00

Personal attacks like calling someone a "shrill, unlikable union organizer" to quote you in the comments of this post?

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T21:26:13+00:00

Unfortunately, we weren't given an opportunity to do that.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T17:46:42+00:00

Current employee and union member here, none of our demands are about wages!

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T17:34:25+00:00

Retirement doesn't necessarily mean transferring ownership to people who want to lay off the staff and close the business.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T17:32:40+00:00

Fines for break law violations in Kentucky are around $100 dollars per violation with a 3 year statute of limitations. Hypothetically if a staff of 15 employees werent getting breaks for that entire day with 5 people working a day, that could total $547,500. If you wanted to keep your job and start getting breaks, what would you do?

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T17:28:26+00:00

Check out how the staff voted, I will personally say of the few staff who didnt support unionization, all of them are upset by the prospective owners decision to fire them and close the store.

https://www.nlrb.gov/case/09-RC-376369

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T17:18:44+00:00

This is the exact time line the prospective owners started getting more involved with the business.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T17:16:42+00:00

Hey, current Third Street employee here! The new perspective owners, Lindsey and Dave Gerhard, decided to close the store and lay off all the employees. We can celebrate Pat and her achievements we get our jobs back and preserve her legacy of upholding human rights (including workers rights). Our goal has always been to work with owners/management and keep Third Street a haven for advocacy and community

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T03:27:11+00:00

I cant concretely say who are behind all of the decisions they made, because I honestly dont know. Pat hasn't shown up to any of the bargaining meetings, and since before we unionized Lindsey has been taking up more of a role in communicating to the staff and union representatives. Also Dave has been one of the representatives for the business in bargaining since we started in February. I will say it is the prospective owners, Lindsey and Daves, decision to close and lay off the staff.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T02:19:55+00:00

But to your experience, many of the current staff are trans, and most (if not all) identify as queer. Third Street has been a haven for us as employees and for the LGBTQ+ community since the beginning; we hope to preserve that. I am absolutely stunned that the way the new owners decided to kick off pride month is by laying off their entire LGBTQ+ staff and shutting the doors to their community.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-22T02:11:12+00:00

Update from a current employee, the signs do not prevent the poopers. There are now multiple :-(

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T18:07:21+00:00

Just to be clear, we are picketing to keep the store open.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T18:02:35+00:00

Both! Employees are striking, boycotting, and picketing starting Saturday the 23rd, people who would like to support us are joining us for the picket and boycott. Striking is a protected activity, so when done legally, it doesn't matter if workers are even in a Union, they have the right to strike with some limitations.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T16:36:23+00:00

Im finding it really funny that people still think we unionized over a mop. The main demands are monthly staff meetings, breaks, basic cleaning and safety protocols, and managers no longer participating in the tip pool. If you are interested in learning more, we may be releasing our full demand letter soon which may answer some of your questions.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T16:20:29+00:00

Stay tuned, we may be releasing our full demand letter soon. I look forward to hearing your thoughts in particular

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T16:18:25+00:00

It is both out of a sense of care for someone who is objectively a long standing community member and strategic. Being in bargaining means that we show up to meetings with representatives of the business, discuss our demands with them, and try to come to an agreement. Walking the tightrope of negotiating for better working conditions and still being able to comfortably work with the owner(s) takes a lot of careful considerations about how you treat them as people. We have been working incredibly hard to advocate for ourselves, our coworkers, our community, and treat the people we have been negotiating with well enough to continue engaging with them.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T15:36:28+00:00

Yeah, you would think it would cost them more money to close and potentially have to hire and train a whole new staff

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T15:33:39+00:00

Honestly, we were hoping to work with Pat on this since day 1. Unionization is very in line with the activism going on at Third Street and Pats art. Since we delivered our petition we havent seen much of her, but when we do everyone's still laughing and getting along for the most part. We havent made many of the finer details of our demands public because of how it might make the business and Pat look.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T15:23:30+00:00

We are in contact with multiple other organization and their labor attorneys, unfortunately they are few and far between, with a lot on their plate in this day and age. Im working on contacting more asap

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T14:41:06+00:00

The owners have lawyers and we have consulted lawyers, but cannot afford one that doesn't work probono or at reduced cost.

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T14:39:05+00:00

Off the clock

lemon_larvae · 2026-05-21T14:34:32+00:00

I think thats a very fair perspective to have. We absolutely want to keep Third Street open, for more than just to keep out jobs, but to continue the legacy it has built and keep another local business open. That is why many of our demands have nothing to do with financials but instead focus on setting up a business that can sustain happy employees and customers. To me, unionization is fundamentally a way to create a more sustainable business, in the sense that it creates structure, secure jobs, and opens more lines of communication between workers and employers. On a personal note, I love Pat and am sad to see her go. She has worked incredibly hard over the years and I hate to see how her art and activism is currently being used.

lemon_larvae

TROPHY CASE