Lola Cox is seen wearing a button at Third Street Stuff and Coffee in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, May 22, 2026. Hannah Piedad/The Watchdog

CORRECTION: TSSU’s petition served as a proposal and was not part of their official demands.

The Third Street Stuff Union organized a strike and boycott of the business after being told employees would be laid off and the store would be closing indefinitely.

Third Street Stuff & Coffee, a coffee shop in Lexington, announced it would be transitioning to new ownership after 21 years and would be closing its doors on June 1 for the transition period.

According to the TSSU, the union was informed of the closure on Tuesday, May 19, and were told by management all current baristas would be laid off.

Lola Cox, a TSSU representative and negotiator, said the union was first informed of the closure and layoffs during a bargaining meeting with management.

During the meeting, Cox said management told union members the new owners would be current owner Pat Gerhard’s son, Dave Gerhard and his wife, Lindsey Gerhard.

The union continued to bargain attorneys representing the current and prospective owners, and Cox said she and others wondered why they could not bargain directly with the shop’s management.

“From my recollection, they (management) would not look at us, and they did not speak to us,” Cox said. “At one point, their attorney spoke to us and clarified a few things. They did not provide very concrete information, and said that they would deliver legal notice the next day, and they did, first to us as a union, and then to the entire staff.”

Reading from an email management had sent to the union, Cox said the reasoning staff was given for the closure was remodeling and staffing concerns. The email also asked the union to meet for another bargaining meeting before the closure.

Third Street Stuff & Coffee then sent an email to staff, according to Cox, which said the shop would be assessing the “business side of things.”

In regards to staffing concerns, Cox said the business had recently begun hiring, but that the store received multiple calls from people who had not been followed up with after sending in their resume.

“If this is about staffing concerns,” Cox said, “I would ask, why have they not hired the dozens, if not hundreds, of people who have applied?”

As a result of the closure and layoffs, Cox said most employees are now looking for a job, and that she herself was concerned about affording rent and other expenses without a steady income.

“I absolutely depended on this job to make sure that I am fed and housed and clothed,” Cox said.

Lola Cox poses for a photo at Third Street Stuff and Coffee in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, May 22, 2026. Hannah Piedad/The Watchdog

In a statement regarding the closure and layoffs, Third Street Stuff & Coffee said before Pat’s retirement they were facing several “operational challenges,” including staffing shortages, staff scheduling constraints and facility renovation needs.

The business also said they assured the union that new management would bargain in good faith, and continue bargaining the original contract the union and the business had begun negotiating.

“Third Street believes bargaining should take place at the bargaining table, where both parties can sit down to discuss the effects of this decision,” the statement said. “Third Street is disappointed that the Union has not yet provided a direct response, as we are committed to reaching a resolution through the collective bargaining process.”

Third Street Stuff & Coffee’s full statement can be found at the end of the article.

When employees first sought to form a union in December 2025, Cox said they submitted a petition to Pat for voluntary recognition of TSSU, which gives businesses a choice to recognize a union itself if there is evidence a majority of employees want the union to represent them.

After not receiving a response to the petition in a “timely manner,” the union filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board, winning the election through a popular vote.

TSSU’s proposal consisted of monthly meetings with management, financial transparency, clarification of managerial and supervisory roles, tip pooling, facilitated breaks and the creation of a standard procedures binder. Their full list of demands can be found here.

Aubrey Smith, a barista at Third Street Stuff & Coffee and TSSU representative, said nothing in the union’s proposal involved things that could threaten the business.

The only proposal that had a “significant financial component,” according to Smith, regarded paid time off.

“The union was never about squeezing blood from a stone. It’s never been about getting more money,” Smith said. “It’s been about working conditions, it’s been about the customer experience, it’s been about the worker experience.”

Another part of TSSU’s proposal regarded health and safety concerns, asking for external cameras to help identify violent and sexual offenders, electronic number-code locks on the bathrooms and cleaning supplies such as a cloth mop, floor cleaner, and a bucket with wheels and a wringer.

In his time working at Third Street Stuff & Coffee, Smith said employees were provided a sponge mop to clean the bathrooms.

“We were told to clean the floors with water,” Smith said. “We were told not by management, not by the owners, but we were told in the past to clean the floors behind the counter on our hands and knees with a rag, and we just wanted better than that.”

Believing the coffee shop’s actions were an attempt to union bust, Cox called the business a “runaway store,” or a store with a unionization effort that decides to temporarily or permanently close in an attempt to remove unionized employees.

“You would think that I would be incredibly stressed out, and I am,” Cox said, “but this has honestly been one of the most loving times in my entire life, because I have seen so many people show up for me in ways that I cannot begin to thank them for.”

TSSU held a picketing and boycott demonstration outside of Third Street Stuff & Coffee on Saturday, May 23, with another picketing event planned for Saturday, May 30.

A poster about the strike is seen outside Third Street Stuff and Coffee in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, May 22, 2026. Hannah Piedad/The Watchdog

THIRD STREET STUFF & COFFEE FULL STATEMENT:

“Third Street Stuff owner Pat Gerhard has made the decision to retire after 37 years of dedicated service to Third Street and the community. This was not a decision made lightly, and Third Street is grateful for the impact she has had in building the shop into what it is today. While we support her decision, we also recognize that this transition brings uncertainty for staff, customers, and the broader community.

Prior to Pat’s retirement, Third Street was facing a number of operational challenges, including staffing shortages, staff scheduling constraints that have led to shortened shop hours, and facility renovation needs. In light of these factors, new ownership made the difficult decision to close the business to assess how to reopen in a sustainable and operationally sound way.

Following this decision, on May 19 and May 20, Third Street gave notice to the Union that it would be transitioning the business. Since these communications, the Union has sent one direct communication to Third Street: on May 20, where it proposed a May 30 bargaining session.

Third Street responded on May 21 to invite the Union to meet for effects bargaining on Tuesday, May 26, as Third Street believes it is important to provide clarity and answers for staff as soon as possible and to work toward a timely resolution. Third Street also provided the Union with the assurance that new ownership would continue to recognize the Union, including that new ownership will: (1) bargain in good faith with the Union over the effects of the sale; and (2) continue to bargain the first time contract the Parties have already begun negotiating.

At this time, Third Street has not received a direct response from the Union to its May 21 communication. Third Street believes bargaining should take place at the bargaining table, where both parties can sit down to discuss the effects of this decision. Third Street is disappointed that the Union has not yet provided a direct response, as we are committed to reaching a resolution through the collective bargaining process.

Third Street hopes to hear from the Union soon regarding the shop’s proposal to meet this Tuesday. In the meantime, Third Street is doing its best to keep the doors open for the staff, community, and customers leading up to this transition.”