MANCHESTER, NH—

Thousands of Starbucks workers traded in their green aprons for picket signs, hoping a holiday strike would advance their months-long contract negotiations.

Workers at more than 300 stores across the country walked off their jobs Tuesday, including workers at three locations in New Hampshire.

Starbucks workers from Epping, Rochester and Stratham joined the strike line to get Starbucks’ attention.

“We have people who need these benefits. People who really need to be treated like real people and not just part-timers who are high schoolers. None of us are high schoolers. This is a real job,” said Jake Duquette , a Starbucks barista on strike in Stratham.

The Starbucks workers union accuses the company of low wages and unfair working hours.

Workers like Duquette are pushing for better wages and better hours. He has been working for the coffee chain for just over a year and serves as its site delegate, where he is involved in monthly negotiating meetings with company representatives.

In addition to wage increases, union members are also pushing for more protections and accommodations for Black, Indigenous and people of color, transgender employees and disabled workers.

“We want to show that not only can we step away from our personal lives and put the greater good of the larger collective before ourselves, but that this was a strategic move,” Duquette said.

Tuesday’s strike was supposed to be the biggest day of the planned five-day “strike before Christmas.”

The work stoppage was expected to disrupt operations at one of the busiest times of the year.

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Local baristas said that while they are confident things are getting better, the time for change is now. Duquette said he had “full confidence” that the two parties would reach an agreement.

In a public letter to employees, Starbucks’ chief executive said the strike was causing “very limited” disruption and that he was willing to continue negotiations with the union.

The strike is expected to end on Tuesday.