Starbucks workers are quitting their jobs at hundreds of stores in dozens of cities on Tuesday, the last scheduled day of the so-called “strike before Christmas,” according to their union.

“Starbucks baristas at over THREE HUNDRED stores have walked off their jobs to demand Starbucks negotiate a fair contract coast to coast,” Starbucks Workers United (SBU) wrote in an Instagram post, calling it the largest strike ever unfair labor practices The history of the coffee chain.

The union says the strike is in response to Starbucks reneging on its commitment to negotiate a “fundamental framework” by the end of the year – for collective bargaining and the resolution of outstanding litigation over allegations of unfair labor practices.

“Our unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes will begin Friday morning and escalate each day until Christmas Eve… unless Starbucks meets our commitment to work toward a fundamental framework,” it said last week.

The strike began Friday in three cities: Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago.

Since then, the number has grown daily and the list of participating stores now includes Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Seattle and San Jose.

Starbucks said Monday that about 60 stores nationwide were closed due to the strike, but stressed that the “overwhelming majority” of its more than 10,000 U.S. locations would not be affected. Some of the shops that were closed at the weekend have already reopened, it said.

“The public discussion may be missing the important context that the vast majority of our stores (97-99%) will continue to operate and serve customers, and we expect very limited impact to our overall operations,” said Executive Vice President Sara Kelly Expression.

The union is urging customers to boycott Starbucks stores during the strike and to join picket lines to show their support for workers.

Why baristas go on strike

SWU, which unionized for the first time in 2021, represents approximately 10,000 employees in 535 U.S. stores. In February, the company celebrated a milestone when Starbucks announced it would work with the union to reach a collective agreement and resolve the dispute by the end of the year.

But last week, with the matter still unresolved ahead of the last scheduled bargaining session in 2024, a whopping 98% of union partners voted to authorize a strike to “protest hundreds of unresolved allegations of unfair labor practices (ULPs) and a strong Winning the lawsuit.” Basic framework for union contracts.”

The union acknowledged that both sides had “negotiated for hundreds of hours” and “advanced dozens of tentative agreements” in recent months.

However, hundreds of complaints accusing Starbucks of unfair labor practices – including retaliation against firings – remain unresolved, with more than $100 million in legal liabilities still outstanding. In addition, the company “has not yet brought a comprehensive economic stimulus package to the negotiating table”.

Starbucks’ most recent proposal included no immediate wage increase for unionized baristas and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in the coming years. The union called that “insulting,” especially compared to the salary of its new CEO, who started in September.

“This year, Starbucks invested $113 million in CEO Brian Niccol’s compensation package at a time when barista wages are not keeping pace with inflation costs,” it said. “Workers regularly struggle to get the hours we need to qualify for benefits and pay our bills. Starbucks needs to invest in the workers who run their stores.”

Ruby Walters, who works at a Starbucks location in Columbus, told member station WOSU from the picket line over the weekend that most workers “have a very similar experience with the company not providing them with enough resources that they need “Not just to take them home and improve their lives, but literally at work.”

“In my opinion, what we are fighting for is not just for ourselves,” Walters added. “It’s aimed at all Starbucks employees across the country.”

What Starbucks says

Kelly, the Starbucks chief executive, said the union’s proposals amounted to a 64% increase in the minimum hourly wage immediately and 77% over three years, which she dismissed as unrealistic.

“These proposals are unsustainable, especially when the investments we continually make in our total benefits package are the hallmark of what sets us apart as an employer – and what makes us proud to work at Starbucks,” she said.

These benefits include health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company stock grants, Starbucks says, adding that the combination of average wages and benefits for the vast majority of baristas who work at least 20 hours per hour is an average of $30 -Dollars per hour equals week.

The union is calling for a base wage of at least $20 an hour for all baristas, with 5% annual raises and cost-of-living adjustments, inclusion in a Starbucks-sponsored retirement plan, more consistent schedules, improved paid leave protocols and better health care, among other initiatives.

In the final stretch of the four-day strike, she is calling on Starbucks to present a “serious economic offer at the negotiating table.”

The company, in turn, says the union “early ended” the last round of negotiations and is urging them to come back.

“The union decided last week to withdraw from collective bargaining,” Kelly said. “We stand ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the bargaining table.”