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The union that represents 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 employment.
Workers United says the walkout will take place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, and is fighting to expand every day and reach hundreds of stores by Christmas unless they partner with the coffee giant.
It follows the agreement that calls on Starbucks to raise wages and workers, as well as implement better labor policies.
“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach an agreement. We want this agreement back on the table,” said a Starbucks spokesperson in response to the announcement.
The company also highlighted that it offers wages of more than $18 (£14.40) an hour, and “best in class.”
“The union is worth $30 an hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours a week,” it said.
Workers United says it represents more than 500 store workers 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 Starbucks barista from Texas in a statement sent to the BBC by the union.
Workers United has highlighted what it sees as unfair differences between its members and Starbucks bosses, including general manager Brian Niccol.
His annual salary is $1.6m. He can also earn a performance-related bonus of up to $7.2m and up to $23m a year in Starbucks shares.
Starbucks has previously defended the plan, saying Mr Niccol was “one of the most effective leaders in our industry” and that his pay was “directly linked to the performance of the company and the success of all we work with”.
Mr Niccol joined the company in September after his predecessor Laxman Narasimhan resigned less than two years later.
The world’s largest coffee shop has seen some notable sales as it struggled with rising prices and boycotts triggered by the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The beating at Starbucks comes as One of the most powerful labor unions in the US is staging a protest against Amazonin a bid to pressure the tech giant as it chases down packages in the run-up to Christmas.
The Teamsters union said Amazon truck drivers at seven U.S. locations walked off the job Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate a new labor contract.
