Fulton Street Coffee in Downtown Fresno was closed as of Monday due to an employee strike over issues with ownership over various concerns. Photo by Ben Hensley

Coffeegoers in Downtown Fresno hoping to catch their morning brew at Fulton Street Coffee arrived to locked doors Monday as employees announced a strike.

In a post on Instagram Sunday night, the Better Coffee X Fresno Worker Owned Cooperative, a barista-owned cooperative that hoped to acquire the locally-owned coffee shop, outlined a number of complaints ranging from understaffing and overtime violations to workplace environment issues and health concerns.

A letter from the co-op claims that the store’s original owner, Omar Octavio Vargas, “began as a friend” to the employees of the coffee shop, however resentment grew between the owner – referred to as a serial entrepreneur – and employees.

Vargas “began working on multiple other businesses creating a clear conflict of interest and limiting the growth of the cafe and thus our careers,” according to the letter.

The letter further states that Vargas stepped down from cafe operations, with his partners Juan Carlos Contreras and Carmen Julia Lopez stepping in to run things. After a short “honeymoon phase” that included an expansion and a new employee break room, the co-op members said tensions heightened over other issues.

“Problems including disagreements about decor, specifically our pride flag, led to uncomfortable communications,” the letter reads.

The post also highlights health-related concerns, citing a 2021 closure by the Fresno County Department of Public Health due to a lack of hot water at the cafe.

According to the post, employees at the shop have been in talks with the owners about acquiring the cafe as a cooperative, however, discussions progressed from productive to hostile. They said there was an unwillingness to share information, including limited access to daily transaction information.

In preparation to acquire the business, the cooperative requested transaction information that would allow an audit of distribution of tips. Following the request for transparency, the post claims tipping options were altered in a way that employees suspect will reduce take-home pay.

Community members and at least one business have voiced support for employees.

“I am hoping that as the owners you will in good faith reach out to the workers of Fulton Street Coffee sincerely and will full transparency to address concerns the workers have had for several months now,” wrote Roxanne Villalus, owner of Food Mood Kitchen.

Food Mood Kitchen, which supplies Fulton Street Coffee with pastries and is in daily contact with workers at Fulton Street Coffee, posted a letter on their Instagram supporting the employees, adding that three outstanding invoices have yet to be paid by the owners.

“We have worked to ensure continued, stable operation of the cafe and profitability for ownership and are saddened to have reached this point,” the letter reads. “Nevertheless, we are optimistic that this action can help restore good-faith negotiations as we pursue an acquisition of the cafe.”

“We hope that this action can also bring about worker empowerment for ourselves and our community of service workers,” the post concludes.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support the staff from Fulton Street Coffee during the strike.

A message and email left for the owners of Fulton Street Coffee have not been answered at this time.