Highwire Coffee Roasters’ Union Says Management Stalling On First Contract

Almost a year has passed since workers at Highwire Coffee Roasters unionized, but the fight for their first union contract is far from over. 

Thirty-six baristas and roastery workers across eight Highwire locations in the East Bay officially joined the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5 in March, 2025. However, their bargaining committee has not yet been able to finish negotiating a contract, also known as a collective bargaining agreement, on behalf of all members to establish the legal terms of employment between Highwire workers and management.

Since last year the bargaining sessions have been, according to the workers’ team, fruitless. However, this has not dissuaded the workers, who organized their first-ever informational picket this past Sunday, January 18th.

Workers gathered at the Highwire’s Montclair location to put pressure on the company, which was founded in the East Bay in 2011. Handing out zines titled “What’s Going on With Bargaining at Highwire,” they chatted with customers about how the chain has been stalling negotiations for a lengthy eight months. 

At the most recent bargaining session on January 16th, Highwire had zero contract proposals  to present — a stark contrast from the union’s committee, which its members claim has consistently presented proposals and/or counter proposals at every single session. 

“[Bargaining] on top of a regular full-time job is just a lot of work, and [we are] putting all that effort in to get really minimal responses and kind of minimal movement,” explained Cherry Brodt, a barista at the Highwire on Broadway in Oakland. “I’m really proud of the bargaining committee for putting that work in, but we need to see the company put that work in too.” 

While Highwire has made a few tentative agreements with the union, key issues such as management rights and progressive discipline have not yet been addressed. Managers are currently involved in the tip pool — much to the dismay of union workers, the bargaining team say. When workers asked that managers be removed from the pool, Highwire said it would only do so if bargaining unit members agreed to be locked out of a raise for the next three years. 

Workers noted the lack of fair compensation by the chain, which ironically claims that “Highwire’s success is due to [its] people.”

“It’s not a living wage at all, or even close to it. Meanwhile the owners and upper management of the company are sitting in houses we built them,” emphasized Hylah Reyes, a barista at Highwire Montclair who has also worked in the roastery and as a manager over her four years with the company.

“I can’t afford to pay my bills every month […] There’s multiple of us that have to take out payday loans every week to try to get by,” explained Scott Schulman, a production supervisor for Highwire’s roastery in Emeryville. 

Before workers can begin addressing economic proposals with the company, they seek immediate answers on their non-economic daily concerns, such as staffing and the lack of safety protocols. The Broadway location has been staffed by only one individual, the Rockridge location has a broken handwashing sink, and the Emeryville roastery has “no procedures, protocols, or signs delineating safe areas from unsafe areas [...] things blocking access to fire extinguishers [... and] no safety meetings,” says Schulman. 

“In the first year I worked there I think I trained five new employees. They would come in and quickly realize what it’s like back there and almost immediately begin looking for a way out. If I wasn’t involved in the union I probably would’ve been doing the same,” Schulman added.Yet, instead of properly addressing these ongoing complaints via a union contract, Highwire has taken to common anti-union tactics, including CEO-hosted info sessions and hiring an infamous anti-union law firm: Littler Mendelson. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it is — Littler Mendelson was the same law firm used by both Starbucks and Amazon to bust their respective unions. 

Despite the company pushback, the UFCW-represented workers are more determined than ever — and this energy is steadily becoming the standard in the industry. From 2021 to 2022, union elections at coffee shops rose 70%, and the movement continues to grow. Coffee chains may attribute this union growth to their demographic of workers: typically younger and more progressive than other industries. On top of this, about 65% of baristas work only part-time. This combination— complete with a side of pandemic — formed the conditions for today’s strong labor organizing.

Nonetheless, the food and beverage service industry still has one of the lowest unionization rates of any sector at only 1.9%. However, the recent exponential rise in coffee shop unions has begun to change the total industry standard. During a time when the labor movement is under constant attack, Highwire workers are proving the power of organizing.

For now, workers await the next bargaining session with Highwire, which is set for Friday, January 30th. 

“We are part of a solution that can help create a more diverse, more adversarial, and better future for people who want to unionize in non-traditional union areas,” emphasized Mae Vidanez, a barista at Highwire’s Rockridge location. 

Highwire management has not responded to our request for comment.