In July, HHWU and the company sat down to three bargaining sessions. Two of them were without the presence of either owner. But we continue to show up and advocate for our coworkers. And it’s paying off— we’ve seen movement from the company on issues like accretion, hours guarantees, and scheduling flexibility.

Still, it is unfortunate that these wins won’t be enjoyed by the many longtime Highwire workers that have been forced to jump ship in recent weeks — many of whom were instrumental in forming our union in the first place.

For years Highwire roastery workers have shouldered the brunt of the company’s poor treatment, all while operating dangerous equipment in heat and while breathing in fine particulates. These conditions, combined with extremely low pay, have caused two seasoned employees to quit in the last few weeks — leaving only three, including our driver, left to run an operation which supplies eight stores and numerous cafes and grocery stores Highwire wholesales to.

Management’s response to this problem has been to deny roastery workers a $5 retention and cost-of-living-adjustment raise and falter on giving them full time hours guarantees. Winning workplace protections and raises for roastery workers is a huge priority for HWWU as we head into August and prepare to bargain on economic proposals.

At our last bargaining session on 7/16, we delivered our first economic proposal, spanning issues like vacation, overtime, holidays, health care, and sick leave.

Through all of the turbulence in the past few months, we really appreciate how many of our customers have checked in and asked how they can get involved in our fight for a more equitable Highwire. Right now, the best thing you can do is to keep talking about us! Come in and say hi, ask about bargaining, share our Substack and Instagram posts.

We also encourage you to stay informed about organizing efforts at other workplaces in the Bay Area. Here are some stories we wish to highlight:

• Last week, workers at The Graduate Hotel in Berkeley held informational pickets ahead of their successful union vote on 7/31. Workers at the hotel are unionizing due to low wages, chronic understaffing, and expensive health insurance.

• Ghiradelli workers in San Francisco shut down the flagship San Francisco store on 7/30 and also hit picket lines for a three-day strike. The strike was partially over the company’s failure to disclose how much revenue it generates from its 6% surcharge for employee healthcare. Check out the latest reporting on the strike in Bay Area Current!

• Workers at C&H Sugar in Crockett agreed to a “60 day cool-off” in which striking ILWU Local 6 workers would return to work while the contract continues to be negotiated. The strike, which began on 6/15, was also politically motivated, bringing together longshoremen from ILWU Local 10 and Filipino advocacy groups to block the offloading of a sugar ship carrying sugar from the island Negros. Nineteen people were killed in Toboso, Negros by the Filipino government in April—many of them labor organizers and pro-worker activists.

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  That’s all for July! In August we’re focusing on fighting hard for our economic proposals and building community within our ranks. Make sure you don’t miss our August update by subscribing to this Substack! Many thanks for your ongoing support.

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AS OF YESTERDAY, Thursday, May 28, Highwire Coffee Roasters has terminated three more baristas and put three more under a final warning due to their participation in a union letter reading last February. The union’s letter called on the company to address allegations against the newly appointed senior manager. After conducting an investigation via Oppenheimer Investigations Group, the company claims that its 63-page report of findings found nothing to substantiate the discrimination and harassment claims made by Highwire workers.

Since we delivered our demands, the company has shut down its union-organized Montclair store and laid off all its workers overnight, citing a lack of steady management. Two former Montclair workers remain at Highwire following the community push and UFCW Local 5’s support. The company brought on a new senior attorney from Littler Mendelson, the union-busting firm Highwire currently works with, Robert C. Hulteng. Upon bringing him on, the company canceled two bargaining sessions with less than a 24-hour notice, including this week’s May 27th session, leaving a 71-day gap between the last bargaining session and the rescheduled June 10th session. This pattern of stalling and disrespect to the union’s demands is unacceptable and a breach of the company’s claim to work with us in good faith.

Ironically, the company continued to run its Rockridge location for two and a half weeks, short-staffed and without a manager, following the resignations of its manager, shift lead, and veteran employee/bargaining committee member. Once the manager role was finally fulfilled, Rockridge workers were subject to unprofessional and hostile behavior from the new manager. Rockridge workers delivered a letter demanding her removal on May 25th, which the company also ignored.

After over a year of voluntary recognition, the company has failed to treat its workers with dignity. On our May 15th bargaining session, members of the Roastery team requested an immediate $5/hour employee retention and cost-of-living raise as roasters faced an increased workload and reduced hours. The new lawyer, Robert C. Hulteng, responded that the company will not be granting the roastery this raise, or any kind of raise or economic agreement for the bargaining unit until the union gives up on its proposal for accretion and union membership. Hulteng also chastised the bargaining committee at the table for the delays in bargaining despite their cancellation and slow pace in exchanging their proposals.

The bargaining committee continues to work off the clock for the betterment of our fellow workers’ working conditions, while the owners and attorneys continuously disrespect our efforts to reach an agreement and treat their workers like second-class citizens. Highwire baristas provide the “approachably excellent” service that the company prides itself on, but their continued dismissiveness and disrespect prove that this excellence is a one-way street.

At the last bargaining session on May 15, Highwire brought in their eighth lawyer, Robert Hulteng from Littler Mendelson. Hulteng is a very senior attorney, having worked for the firm representing bosses in labor and employment cases since 1976. He joins Highwire counsel as the company escalates its fight over accretion.

Accretion allows all new stores and new hires to automatically be part of the union. Denying accretion is a union-busting tactic to limit the growth of our union and the safety that unions create within their contracts. Boxing out new hires and new stores waters down our power. The company is also weaponizing the accretion issue by refusing to touch the economic articles in contract bargaining until we accede to their demand to limit accretion.

This demand is what has kept bargaining moving at a glacial pace. As we approach our second year of contract bargaining, our bargaining team has been met with little to no movement or counteroffers on accretion. This is not something we are willing to compromise on — Highwire must remain a company of closed shops.

Our upcoming bargaining session was set and scheduled to be on Wednesday, May 27, but was yet again canceled on Tuesday, May 26. Our bargaining team will once again go another day without pay. We were told the session could not proceed because members of management are sick. Yet management does not need to be present for contract bargaining, as long as their lawyers are. Canceling due to management availability is unacceptable. This marks another instance of the company failing to bargain in good faith, and we are legally entitled to take action.

With the next contract bargaining session set for June 10th, this marks a 71-day gap between contract bargaining sessions at NO fault of our union bargaining team. We are more than ready to sit down at the table and make a good-faith effort to reach an agreement. Stay tuned for future Highwire Workers Union contract bargaining updates.

We asked for an immediate retention wage increase of $5/hour for all roastery workers who do not receive tips, to equally reflect what our lowest-paid baristas make across most stores. Our roastery team currently makes less than our baristas, with the two longest-running employees actually taking pay cuts since starting with the company, when inflation is taken into account.

Our small team of two union roasters and three union employees handpacks every bag of beans for Highwire cafe sales and wholesale accounts for other cafes, grocery stores, and subscription services. This five-person team fulfills orders for seven highwire stores, not including an 8th store if and when our Montclair location reopens. In the past, cafe deliveries were spread throughout the week. This naturally spread our production work across the week relatively evenly, giving each day a similar volume. Last year, despite protest from staff, main cafe deliveries were consolidated to two days. This effectively forced the roastery team to work much harder and faster earlier in the week, and lose hours on Fridays, as so much of the work has been backloaded to earlier in the week. This, along with the sudden and unexpected lay-offs of our Montclair team, the full Montclair closure, and the lack of communication to the roastery, resulted in lost hours for our roasters and our delivery worker, with no communication from higher-ups.

Our roastery team also maintains production standards, operates hazardous equipment including a Walkie Stacker forklift, a vintage Probat UG22 roaster (with exposed chains and belts on the back), packages all orders leaving the warehouse and manages physically demanding workloads in a hot environment all while our Probat chugs along roasting beans at 356°F to 455°F daily with our team of roasters overseeing every batch directly in contact with our Probat.

We have one single roastery employee who drives our weekly orders to all stores twice a week, and delivers all beans and tea that leave our warehouse to our stores, which makes it home to all customers who come in daily and weekly.

In regard to wholesale and services, during the spring of 2024, Highwire began roasting for Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters, a San Francisco-based coffee “roasting” company, owned in part by Trish Rothgeb, who gives no credit to our roastery team; meanwhile, consumers are led to believe Trish oversees the roasts of the coffees they serve. In addition to roasting, our rank-and-file members also serve as production for Wrecking Ball. We maintain their cafe pars, create all their shipping documents, and hand-label each of their bags, which are labeled, dated, and packaged differently than Highwire Coffee. We maintain data visualization of every pound of coffee roasted for them. This work for Wrecking Ball was not in our offer letters and was not discovered by employees until they had already begun working. This info has been treated with an air of secrecy by higher-ups at the company. Additionally, Wrecking Ball is soon to open a second shop, which will add extra labor and time crunches to our already overworked and underpaid roastery team. Naturally, this was discovered through independent research and not communicated in advance to the people actually doing the labor.

Our roastery team ensures that every customer receives a high-standard product that generates all the company’s revenue. Every cup of coffee, every cup of tea, every latte, every coffee filter purchased, and every shirt purchased in our shops all start with the roastery.

The demand for roastery workers to receive a livable wage was denied by Highwire at the bargaining table as we were told that nothing economic would be done until we got through the portion of bargaining where they want to deny moving forward with allowing accretion to all and any new stores and new barista hires, accretion is the process where a labor union legally adds previously unrepresented or newly created job titles into an existing bargaining unit.

Highwire wants to limit the growth of our union, and our bargaining team AND our wages while still expecting all teams to perform and provide our honed and skilled labor for them to turn into profit margins for them at a pace far exceeding their own standards. Some may say it’s a sad day in America when workers hold themselves to a higher standard than managers and executives. We actively proliferate the values the company espouses with honesty and transparency, while the company actively works to fight against the interests of those creating the profit that gives them the opportunities for a fulfilling life, while their employees are drowning financially, but here we just call that a Tuesday

.

Over the past few weeks, our coworkers have experienced sudden layoffs, a lack of communication, and ongoing concerns around harassment, discrimination, and retaliation that have gone unaddressed. Below is a timeline outlining the events as they’ve unfolded. This is what we’re dealing with.

If you believe in fair treatment and accountability, we encourage you to support us by reaching out directly to company leadership, including the owners and CEO, and asking them to address the Montclair closure transparently and take meaningful action to give workers and our communities a timeline for reopening.

Here is the link to send an email to the company: https://tinyurl.com/y2jf3kc8

THE TIMELINE

Friday, February 27th: At the bargaining table, HWWU members share demands with the company regarding following CA Harassment & Discrimination Laws.

The company has habitually ignored reports of harassment, transphobia, favoritism, and retaliation. In the demand letter, the Union requests actions to be taken toward these demands by 5 PM on Monday, March 2nd.

Monday, March 2nd: At 5 PM, Highwire employees at the Montclair Location receive an e-mail that the store had been closed and that they have been laid off, with the reasoning being that they do not have a manager for the store.

Not only does the company have a history of running stores without a manager (San Pablo location in the year leading up to its official closure), but the manager-on-duty was already scheduled through ‘til the next week.

Express couriers were sent to each individual Montclair employee’s homes that evening to deliver their “final check.”

Wednesday, March 11th: The company publicly acknowledges the Montclair store closure, posting the letter first to Basecamp, and the Bargaining Unit responds. Highwire has yet to acknowledge the employee backlash and feedback.

The company reassures the public that employees have been offered temporary positions at other stores, and that they are working in good faith toward the Union.

Wednesday, March 18th: 16 calendar days after the lay-off, Montclair employees finally return to work. There is still no timeline on the reopening of the Montclair Village Highwire location, and the company has not shared any more information on its status.

–

(source: a Montclair employee’s e-mail inbox, screenshot produced 3/2/26)

The e-mail states that the closure is “because we do not have a manager for the store.” While

At the bargaining table, CEO Jeff Weinstein outlined that they do not expect somebody in management to have specialty coffee experience, which would ideally make it easier to hire for this position, right?

Their job description seems to contradict what they’re looking for. A “buildable” role that…. should already come pre-built.

(source: Highwire Jobs page, screenshot produced 3/20/26)

Back at the Bargaining Table on February 27th, the Union read a letter to the company with demands to address serious concerns raised by employees, including harassment, transphobia, favoritism, and retaliation.

While the Montclair Village location was one of the top-performing stores in the local chain, it also happened to be one of the most organized. Several HWWU leaders, both past and present, have been based out of the Montclair shop.

Instead of addressing serious concerns that were raised at the table, Highwire chose to shut down the Montclair store without notice and immediately lay its staff off.

(source: a Basecamp update from CEO Jeff Weinstein on November 14th, 2025, screenshot produced 3/20/26)

The employees were reinstated, but not without a fight– both from you, the public, and from us, the workers. We asked our customers to reach out and send e-mails to the CEO and to the company to address this issue. The message they eventually put out, 9 calendar days later, was incredibly lacking.

(source: Highwire Coffee Roasters via Instagram, screenshot produced 3/11/26)

Montclair employees were not officially reached out to about transfers until Monday, March 9th– a week after the closure and the lay-off.

Upon reading the letter, the HWWU responded:

• “The email that went out laying people off sounded way different than this in tone. It was cold to cut somebody off a team on a days notice with no backup offered.”

• “We all saw the email. If people are being offered a transfer there is no need to lay people off. Giving people emotional distress due to severely lacking communication and foresight is extremely unprofessional and disrespectful to all our teams and shows us all that we are seen as disposable.”

• “he fact it took an outcry of public support to receive even the slightest hint of a message regarding the status of Montclair from our leadership is an additional level of disrespect and alienation of your employees. And even then, it is an update aimed at the customers rather than the people serving your coffee.”

• “If you intend on reporting to our community that the company is bargaining in good faith, please do not sweep your mistakes under the rug.”

• “You want to preach open doors and open communication, but lay off your employees without prior notice or even a grace period. Here we are, laying out our thoughts for discussion for you on this forum, and we will not be giving you calls to discuss further what we can easily have laid out in record here.”

The CEO Jeff Weinstein continues to echo his own open-door policy, restating his phone number in communications with us and encouraging us to contact him any time. We as workers would prefer to have these communications on the record. We have laid out our concerns and our responses in text for them to easily reference and review.

We don’t do this to pile on and harass, but rather because we have been continually left without proper communication and respect.

We want to know the company’s timeline of the reopening of Montclair. How “temporary” is this? How long are our Montclair colleagues going to be in limbo?

(source: Highwire Montclair Village location page, screenshot produced 3/20/26)

Baristas across Highwire have come forward to share experiences of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Reports include gender and race-based harassment, transphobia, favoritism, and retaliation for speaking up. In multiple instances, management failed to conduct proper investigations, leaving workers vulnerable and unsafe.

Some employees have been physically harassed and felt too unsafe to report it. Others requested transfers away from supervisors accused of misconduct, only to have management investigate the employee instead. Qualified workers have been denied promotions without explanation, likely due to matter of race, gender, favoritism, or union involvement.

These are not isolated incidents. This is a pattern across multiple locations, persisting for years. Highwire has repeatedly shown that worker safety and dignity are not priorities.

Because of these systemic failures, the Highwire Workers Union is filing complaints with the California Civil Rights Department under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. We are also demanding immediate action:

1. Enforce the company’s existing zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment and assault, up to and including termination.

2. Follow California regulations regarding harassment and discrimination.

3. Require Rich Avella (Owner of the Company) to step down from his role as HR.

4. Provide a clear, written pathway for leadership development from barista to manager, including transparent promotion criteria and written explanations for employees who are denied advancement.

5. Communicate directly with the union through the union email for all matters regarding bargaining and worker concerns.


Our safety is not optional! Our dignity is not negotiable!

Sincerely,

Highwire Workers Union

JANUARY 30 — GENERAL STRIKE

No work. No school. No shopping.

Today, communities across the country — and here in the Bay Area — are taking collective action in response to immigration enforcement that is tearing families apart and creating fear in our neighborhoods.

From Minneapolis to Oakland, neighbors are organizing, walking out, and showing up for one another.

We stand in solidarity with them.

If you’re looking for ways to stay informed, protect yourself, or materially support people on the ground, these are trusted resources:

Know Your Rights

ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Guide

aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights

Minneapolis Support

Minnesota Freedom Fund — mnfreedomfund.org

Immigrant Rapid Response Fund — wfmn.org/funds/immigrant-rapid-response

MIRAC + MN National Lawyers Guild — miracmn.com/resources

Bay Area Support

Bay Resistance — https://www.bayresistance.org/

National Lawyers Guild (legal observers) — nlg.org

Immigrant Defense Project — immigrantdefenseproject.org

This is about community safety.

This is about dignity.

This is about refusing to look away.

As workers deeply connected to the communities we serve, we believe this moment calls for clarity and courage.

If Highwire is truly Rooted in Oakland, this is a moment to live those values out loud — honoring the living histories of resistance and community care here with a public statement, real material support, or action that shows up for the people who make this city what it is.

Protect your neighbors. Resist. FUCK ICE.

✊⚡️✨
(Feel free to comment other resources you’d like to share!)

#CoffeeIsPolitical #GeneralStrike #Solidarity #KnowYourRights #RootedInOakland

On Sunday January 18th, we held an informational picket in front of our cafe in Montclair, Oakland to raise awareness around Highwire’s practices during contract negotiations, and to call on the company to respect the collective bargaining process.

While there has been some collaboration and progress in securing tentative agreements, we have, unfortunately, encountered issues from the company.

Failing to commit to full union representation at contract bargaining sessions:

Designated bargaining representatives have a right to be at the bargaining table. But at nearly every bargaining session, we have been down a representative. Our representatives are routinely scheduled to work at their cafes during bargaining sessions, and are expected to find their own coverage in order to be at the table. We have voiced this concern and tried to collaborate on solutions for months. The union and the company share a goal to keep cafes adequately staffed, but this goal must be balanced with the right to full union representation during this democratic process.

Introducing a role that would remove workers from the union without negotiating first:

The company introduced an assistant manager role that they claim would be non-union. They began hiring internally for this role (which would remove members from our bargaining unit) without giving us a chance to discuss union eligibility for this role.

Proposing to lock us out of wage negotiations for three years:

Amidst a discussion about whether cafe managers can be included in our tip pool, the company made the following offer: to remove managers from the tip pool in exchange for a three year lockout on raises of all kinds, effective immediately. Though this was framed as generously responding to our concerns, an effective-immediately raise lockout would circumvent the economic bargaining process entirely. Workers have a federal right to negotiate wages, and we intend to use it.

Sunday, we called on our Montclair customers to support us- baristas from every location and workers in the roastery- in our fight for a first contract. We’re asking our supporters to send a quick email to management expressing their support for the union and tell Highwire Management to respect the bargaining process as we carry on our negotiations into the new year!

Support the Workers and Email the Owners Here! :)

As always, our organizing is rooted in love for our jobs and communities — we hope to see you in our shops and appreciate your continued support towards a fair contract!

A Heartfelt Thank You for Your Unwavering Support

We want to begin by extending our deepest gratitude for the support we’ve received from our community—both online and in-store. Your solidarity has been nothing short of incredible, and it’s clear that worker power is growing stronger every day. This support is the backbone of our movement and gives us the strength to continue pushing forward. 🙏💪

Highwire Hires Law Firm Known For “Union Avoidance”

The owners have hired Cirrus Jahangiri from Littler Mendelson, a law firm known for its union-busting tactics. Littler Mendelson has represented companies like Starbucks, Apple, Amazon, and others in “union avoidance” matters

In the last few days, we noticed a new CEO listed on our payroll—Jeff Weinstein.

Given the timing of his arrival, it’s likely Jeff played a significant role in the decision to bring on Littler Mendelson. Weinstein is a longtime food and beverage executive, known for leading major expansions, including owning the largest franchisee group for Jamba Juice.

Highwire should follow through on their claims of neutrality and continue to work expeditiously toward a contract.

There’s no reason for them to oppose us. Our demands are not radical; they’re focused on creating a healthier, safer workplace for everyone. We’re here because, for too long, we’ve been dismissed and taken advantage of by owners who hide behind incompatible “punk” ideals.

As we approach our first bargaining session on Tuesday, May 13th,

we reached out to confirm. In response, management proposed an alternate date, which we will agree to. While we’re moving forward, we hope this isn’t a sign of future delays. 📅

Though we’re bracing for more delays, we are ready for whatever comes next.

We’ve kept our coworkers informed, prepared, and united, and the momentum behind this movement continues to grow. We remain committed to pushing for a fair, just, and supportive environment that benefits all of us.

Thank you once again for your continued support. Together, we are making a difference, and together, we will keep pushing forward for the changes we deserve. 🙏🔥

Dear friends, guests, and community members,

We love serving you every day, and we know that great coffee starts with a workplace that values the people behind it. That’s why we, the baristas and roastery workers of Highwire Coffee, are organizing a union—to create a fairer, more transparent, and more sustainable work environment.

Why We’re Organizing

A strong workplace means better coffee, better service, and a better experience for everyone. We’re unionizing to:

✅ Have a real voice in workplace decisions

✅ Advocate for fair wages and job security

✅ Ensure a safe and supportive environment for all workers

✅ Build a stronger coffee industry rooted in respect and sustainability

How You Can Support Us

📢✨ Spread the Word – Follow us on social media and share our updates

☕️✨ Support Union Workers – Keep visiting us, ask us about the union, and show solidarity when you stop by

Frequently Asked Questions

❓Why does a union matter for customers?

💡When workers have a voice, we can provide better service and create a healthier, more sustainable industry. Fair wages and job security mean lower turnover, better-trained staff, and a better coffee experience for you.

❓Will this change how the café operates?

💡We hope so—in ways that benefit both workers and customers. We want to make sure everyone, from baristas to customers, is part of a workplace built on fairness and respect.

Thank You for Standing With Us!

Your support means the world to us. Coffee is about community, and we’re proud to have you as part of ours. Let’s build a better future—together.

In solidarity,

The Workers of Highwire

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