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A strike by Starbucks workers will expand to more than 300 locations on Tuesday, a union that represents the company's baristas said.
Starbucks Workers United said on Monday that walkouts by workers would reach new locations like Atlanta and Buffalo, as well as other locations that had not been announced, The Washington Post reported.
That means some stores in the US's largest coffee chain will be affected on Christmas Eve.
Starbucks workers began striking on Friday over what the union previously told BI were issues over pay and unresolved cases related to labor disputes.
The union said on social media that the company proposed no new wage increases for union baristas and had backtracked on a path it had agreed to with workers regarding collective bargaining and pay organizing.
"The company says they have world-class benefits and pay, but for many workers, that's not the reality," it said. "Starbucks workers often struggle to get hours to qualify for benefits, and annual raises don't match the rate of inflation."
It asked people: "While we're on strike, support workers by NOT buying from Starbucks."
More than 60 locations have temporarily shuttered because of the strikes, the Post reported.
Philly Workers United, a food service workers union, said on X on Monday that five union Starbucks locations across Philadelphia had closed the day before.
Baristas have also gone on strike in locations including Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Columbus, Denver, and Pittsburgh, as BI previously reported.
The union has also shared footage of workers striking in Texas, Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon.
The union said on X that the strike would "escalate each day through Christmas Eve... unless Starbucks honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework."
The Washington Post reported that baristas are expected to return to their jobs on Christmas or the following day.
It is not clear if strikes will later resume.
A Starbucks spokesperson told BI earlier this week that the company "offers a competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits."
They said the company also offered competitive benefits, including "health care, free college tuition, paid family leave, and company stock grants."
The spokesperson said that "no other retailer offers this kind of comprehensive pay and benefits package."
"Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year contract. This is not sustainable," they added.
The company also said in a public statement that union delegates "prematurely ended" the bargaining session this week and that it was "disappointing they didn't return to the table given the progress we've made to date."
The company wrote, "We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table."
Shay Mannik, a striking barista in Denver who has worked at Starbucks for two years, told Business Insider, "We've been in contract negotiations with Starbucks for several months now, and things have been going smoothly up until this point — when they have now refused to offer us a viable economic package."
"They just have not been offering us anywhere close to a living wage."
Starbucks has 11,161 self-operated stores and 7,263 licensed stores in North America, BI previously reported, making stores with striking workers a small percentage.
But the union said it was still the largest ever strike against Starbucks.
The union said last week that an "overwhelming" 98% of union partners had voted in favor of the strike authorization.
In a recent post on X, the union wrote: "Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol makes ~$50,000 an HOUR and commutes to work via private jet."
"All while baristas nationwide are struggling to pay their rent and get the hours they need to qualify for benefits," it added.
Brian Niccol became CEO of the company in September and has spoken about wanting to improve conditions for the company's baristas.
He recently announced a new parental leave policy for employees in the US, which is due to increase paid leave for parents from March. It applies to store employees averaging at least 20 hours of work a week.
