Unions are all the rage this summer. It’s looking like the busiest summer of labor action since 2000, with 323,000 workers already having gone on strike, according to the Denver Post. But it’s not just grocery store clerks and Hollywood writers, the solidarity is spreading to nontraditional labor hotspots, like homeless shelters and The Mercury Cafe. With The Merc’s employees set to vote on their union next week, host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by returning fave Joshua Emerson to talk about the iconic Five Points restaurant and venue and it’s role at the center of the latest labor fight.

Joshua is hosting his comedy showcase “Colorado Native” at the Holiday Theater on Aug. 24. You can get tickets here.

Paul talked about the amusement park Aurora could have had back in the late ’70s, Roger Zelazny’s classic sci-fi novel “Lord of Light,” and the Colorado Sun report on HOAs. Joshua mentioned secretive judges. Bree talked about Jason Perry, the DJ who was killed outside Dandy Dan’s recently. 

ICYMI We’re working on an update to our recent episode, “Are Denver’s Strip Clubs Dying?” Check it out if you missed it!

For another dispatch from Hot Union Summer, our pal Chris Walker reported a surprising story this week about the local impacts of the Hollywood writers and actors strike. 

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