The union representing more than 11,000 Starbucks baristas in the US says its members will go on strike for five days starting Friday morning, in a dispute over wages and working conditions.
Workers United says walkouts will take place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, and the strike will spread daily and reach hundreds of stores before Christmas Eve unless an agreement is reached with the coffee shop giant.
The union is subsequently demanding that Starbucks raise wages and workers, and implement better schedules for its workers.
“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table,” said a Starbucks spokesperson when responding to the strike announcement.
The company also highlighted that it offers an average wage of more than $18 (£14.40) an hour, as well as “excellent benefits.”
“Together they cost about $30 an hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours a week,” he said.
Workers United says it represents workers at more than 500 stores in 45 US states.
“It's a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us helpless,” said Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Texas Starbucks barista in a statement sent to the BBC by the union.
Workers United has highlighted what it sees as an unfair pay gap between its members and senior executives at Starbucks, including CEO Brian Niccol.
His annual base salary is $1.6m. He could also receive a performance-related bonus of up to $7.2m and up to $23m a year in Starbucks dividends.
Starbucks has previously defended the plan, saying Mr Niccol was “one of the most successful leaders in our industry” and that his compensation was “directly linked to the performance of the company and the shared success of all our stakeholders”.
Mr Nicol joined the company in September after his predecessor Laxman Narasimhan stepped down after less than two years in the role.
The world's largest coffee shop chain has seen record sales as it faces the backlash of inflation and boycotts caused by the Israel-Gaza war.
The strike at Starbucks is coming as one of the most powerful unions in the US staged a protest against Amazonaimed at putting pressure on the tech giant as it rushes packages in the last Christmas period.
The Teamsters union said Amazon delivery drivers at seven locations in the US walked off the job Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate with the union over a labor contract.
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