Thousands of Starbucks baristas are set to walk off the job on Christmas Eve, escalating a dayslong strike to 300 stores across dozens of cities and towns nationwide, according to the union

Starbucks Workers United. This latest wave of work stoppages involves 5,000 Starbucks employees across more than 25 states, including locations in Maryland, Montana, California, and Ohio, among others.

Nationwide Disruption

The strike, which began on Friday, aims to disrupt Starbucks during one of its busiest times of the year. On Monday, approximately 60 stores were forced to close due to work stoppages, the union said. Workers in cities like Columbus, Ohio, Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Buffalo, New York, are among those participating in the strike.

Lauren Hollingsworth, a barista in Ashland, Oregon, described the strikes as "an initial show of strength" and emphasized that the movement is just beginning. The union’s goal is to push for a collective bargaining agreement, which it says Starbucks has failed to deliver despite earlier commitments to work on a “foundational framework.”

Starbucks’ Response

Starbucks spokesperson Jay Go Guasch downplayed the impact of the strikes, stating that only around 170 stores did not open as planned out of over 10,000 company-operated locations nationwide. "98% of our stores and over 200,000 green apron partners continued to operate and serve customers during the holidays," Go Guasch said. Photo by Boston at English Wikipedia.