Employees of Highwire Coffee at 2059 Mountain Blvd. in Oakland are left without answers after the East Bay coffee company laid off all of the cafe’s employees and announced the location’s abrupt closure amid union bargaining.
The Highwire Workers Union (HWWU), which includes employees across the company’s eight locations in Oakland, Alameda, Albany, and Walnut Creek, last week raised concerns over Highwire management’s alleged harassment, retaliation, and discriminatory practices and demanded action be taken by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 2nd. Instead, staff received an email at 5:08 p.m. on Monday night notifying them that the Montclair store was closed effective immediately and that they were laid off.
The email, sent by CEO Jeff Weinstein, cited there being no manager for the store as the reason for closure. Employees say the current manager was scheduled through next week, and that in the past, other stores, including the San Pablo Ave. location in Berkeley, have run without a manager for brief periods of time.
In a statement on its website, the company said the Montclair location would be closed “temporarily.” By Tuesday, a hiring sign was posted in the window directly beside the closure notice. Highwire did not respond to Gazetteer’s request for comment by time of publication.
A document outlining the union’s concerns notes that the company had previously described the now-shuttered Montclair cafe as a “problem location” after two baristas filed reports against a high-level manager who oversees that location plus four others.
HWWU’s allegations include management failing to properly report harassment and assaults, as well as promotion discrimination on the basis of gender, race, and union engagement. Employees claim management failed to conduct proper investigations into reports of alleged harassment, and that some workers who have reported issues faced retaliation. The union also alleges that some employees whose roles were terminated for harassment were considered for rehire. They also allege that qualified employees were denied promotions on union engagement and gender identity.
“Instead of addressing serious concerns raised by workers, Highwire chose to shut down the Montclair store and lay off its staff… over email,” the union wrote on Instagram.
The union’s demands included that Highwire enforce its “zero tolerance” policy regarding harassment and assault; transparent promotion criteria and written explanations for employees who are denied advancement; and clearer communication with the union. The union announced on Monday, prior to Montclair’s closure, that it would file complaints with the California Civil Rights Department under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.
The union’s bargaining committee and Highwire have not yet negotiated a contract. Last month, workers gathered at the Montclair for an informational picketing session, where zines regarding the unionization efforts were handed out.
The company has made a few tentative agreements with HWWU, though they’ve reached a standstill with some key issues. One of these concerns is the removal of managers from the tip pool; Highwire said it would do so only if bargaining members agreed to be locked out of a raise for the next three years.
Highwire was founded in 2011 by Rich Avella, Eric Hashimoto, and Robert Myers. Its location on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley was closed last year. Baristas and roastery employees at Highwire unionized after 36 employees contacted UFCW Local 5 in August 2024, citing concerns about wages, staffing levels, and safety. Highwire signed a voluntary recognition agreement on March 5, 2025.
Industry veteran Jeff Weinstein was brought on as chief executive in April 2025. Weinstein and Avella met working for Peet’s Coffee in the ‘90s. There, Weinstein was a district manager and sales representative for over a decade before moving on to Dean & Deluca and Starbucks. After eight years at Jamba Juice’s corporate offices, Weinstein founded his own group and quickly became Jamba’s largest franchisee. He then did a brief stint with local bagel chain Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen before joining Highwire.
Around the same time Weinstein was brought on, Highwire hired attorney Cirrus Jahangiri from Littler Mendelson, a San Francisco-based firm with a track record of union avoidance for clients, including Amazon and Starbucks.
Coffee shops are driving a surge in union elections. There has been a major unionization push among baristas in the Bay Area in recent years, including at Verve, Starbucks, Peets, and Philz as well as closures of several locations of these and other coffee shops.
