CNN
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According to the union, the five-day strike against Starbucks reached nine states on Sunday.

Starbucks Workers United said union workers in Missouri, New Jersey and New York began their strike on Sunday after locations in Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania joined the strike on Saturday. Workers united represents more than 10,000 employees in over 525 branches.

A spokesperson for Starbucks Workers United told CNN that 30 stores nationwide are completely closed, but it is too early to know the total for Sunday. The union said the strike could reach “hundreds of stores” by Tuesday, a small portion of the more than 10,000 Starbucks-operated stores with more than 200,000 employees.

The strike is in its third day, following strikes on Friday in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, where Starbucks is headquartered and opened its first location.

Starbucks Workers United calls for wage increases for baristas in an economic proposal before the end of the year deadline. The union said it has been establishing a framework with Starbucks management since February to finalize its first collective bargaining agreement and resolve outstanding legal grievances.

Starbucks said in a statement Thursday that the union ended bargaining sessions early this week after holding more than nine meetings and negotiating for 20 days since April.

“After everything Starbucks has said about valuing partners across the system, we refuse to accept no immediate investment in barista wages and no resolution to the hundreds of open unfair labor practices. Union baristas know their value and will not accept a proposal that does not treat them as true partners,” said Lynne Fox, president of Workers United, in a statement released by the union.

In December, the company proposed no new immediate wage increases and a guarantee of just 1.5% for future years, which works out to less than 50 cents an hour for most workers, the union said.

The five-day strike comes during the busy holiday season, when the coffeehouse chain gets a boost from its fall and winter drinks, gift cards and drinkware products.

While there are no pickets in New Jersey, there were pickets in Brooklyn and Long Island in New York. In Missouri, St. Louis joined the strike on Sunday. In Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh joined on Saturday and Philadelphia on Sunday.

“The few disruptions we experienced this week did not have a significant impact on our store operations. Only a small handful of our U.S. stores are affected,” Starbucks said in a statement on Sunday.

What the union demands

In February, Starbucks said it would use the agreed framework to resolve litigation related to the partner benefits announced in May 2022 and the use of the Starbucks brand in an intellectual property dispute. The company also agreed to tip union employees on credit cards and previously announced benefits.

Starbucks announced Sunday that it is offering a value package like no other retailer. The company’s average wage is over $18 per hour and, when combined with the benefits package, is worth $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week.

However, the union said Starbucks management has backtracked on initial progress since September, when Brian Niccol took over as CEO. The union said it filed a new unfair labor practice charge on Friday, alleging that Starbucks “refused to negotiate and negotiated in bad faith” over economic issues.

Starbucks said it could not afford to meet the union’s wage demands, saying its “proposals call for an immediate 64% increase in hourly partners’ minimum wage and 77% increase over the life of a three-year contract.” That is not sustainable. “

As CNN reported, the union denied having called for such a wage increase in its proposals. It says Starbucks’ claim mischaracterizes and combines several separate claims. However, it declined to provide details about what it is seeking.