Punks fight to save their warehouse after union-busting from Sony Music Entertainment
The Issue
The workers of the Kings Road Merch warehouse (located in Minneapolis, MN) unanimously voted to unionize in Spring of 2026. But just two hours before our first day of contract negotiations, our parent company Sony Music Entertainment declared their intent to permanently close our warehouse in a few short months.
In the wake of hearing this news, we had a decision to make. Do we cut our losses and look for jobs elsewhere? Or, do we put our full force behind the worth of our lives and our labor, to push back against a corporate giant?
Help us prove to Sony Music Entertainment that punks stand strong together!
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Hear from one of our sisters:
"I joined KRM in late 2020 as a seasonal temp in Los Angeles. From my first week I was sharing tracks with coworkers, learning about tons of bands, and connecting with other musicians over how much music rocks.
The ability to be myself at work was not something I was used to. Insistent gender roles, abusive power dynamics, and a lack of dignity left me guarded at my places of work. KRM was the first time I felt like a true peer at a job.
In 2021 I came out as a trans woman. Over the 3 years I was with KRM, I watched as trans rights became a spearhead issue for multiple hate movements, targeting trans people's healthcare and massively disadvantaging them in an already brutal job market.
When the warehouse moved to Minneapolis in 2023, I instead opted to stay and look for work locally in LA. The jobs that were relatively safe for a trans person were being applied to by hundreds, if not thousands, of people looking for that same stability that I once had. I received an offer a year later from KRM and moved myself, partner, two cats and Chihuahua to Northeast Minneapolis.
The security I feel at Kings Road Merch is an incredibly large factor in my devotion to it. Minnesota has strong protections for LGBTQIA individuals, but the job market is poor, and cost of living has skyrocketed.
Sony is trying to extinguish this security from multiple trans employees who have found community and ease of mind at the warehouse. These decisions have widespread ramifications for anyone with recurring healthcare needs and, with the compounding factors of having a trans identity at this time, are downright cruel.
We love this place where we can be ourselves. We want to fight for it.
In solidarity,
Esme
45
The Issue
The workers of the Kings Road Merch warehouse (located in Minneapolis, MN) unanimously voted to unionize in Spring of 2026. But just two hours before our first day of contract negotiations, our parent company Sony Music Entertainment declared their intent to permanently close our warehouse in a few short months.
In the wake of hearing this news, we had a decision to make. Do we cut our losses and look for jobs elsewhere? Or, do we put our full force behind the worth of our lives and our labor, to push back against a corporate giant?
Help us prove to Sony Music Entertainment that punks stand strong together!
-----------
Hear from one of our sisters:
"I joined KRM in late 2020 as a seasonal temp in Los Angeles. From my first week I was sharing tracks with coworkers, learning about tons of bands, and connecting with other musicians over how much music rocks.
The ability to be myself at work was not something I was used to. Insistent gender roles, abusive power dynamics, and a lack of dignity left me guarded at my places of work. KRM was the first time I felt like a true peer at a job.
In 2021 I came out as a trans woman. Over the 3 years I was with KRM, I watched as trans rights became a spearhead issue for multiple hate movements, targeting trans people's healthcare and massively disadvantaging them in an already brutal job market.
When the warehouse moved to Minneapolis in 2023, I instead opted to stay and look for work locally in LA. The jobs that were relatively safe for a trans person were being applied to by hundreds, if not thousands, of people looking for that same stability that I once had. I received an offer a year later from KRM and moved myself, partner, two cats and Chihuahua to Northeast Minneapolis.
The security I feel at Kings Road Merch is an incredibly large factor in my devotion to it. Minnesota has strong protections for LGBTQIA individuals, but the job market is poor, and cost of living has skyrocketed.
Sony is trying to extinguish this security from multiple trans employees who have found community and ease of mind at the warehouse. These decisions have widespread ramifications for anyone with recurring healthcare needs and, with the compounding factors of having a trans identity at this time, are downright cruel.
We love this place where we can be ourselves. We want to fight for it.
In solidarity,
Esme
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on July 18, 2026