Starbucks Strike Expands to Over 300 Stores

(Reuters) – A strike at Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) U.S. stores will expand to over 300 stores on Tuesday, with more than 5,000 workers expected to walk off the job, before the five-day work stoppage ends later on Christmas Eve, according to the workers' union.

Starbucks Workers United, representing employees at 525 stores nationwide, reported that more than 60 U.S. stores across 12 major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Seattle, were shut down on Monday.

Talks between Starbucks and the union have hit an impasse with unresolved issues over wages, staffing, and schedules, leading to the strike. The Christmas Eve strike on Tuesday is projected to be the largest ever at the coffee chain, according to the union.

Starbucks did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours.

> "These strikes are an initial show of strength, and we're just getting started," an Oregon barista said in a union statement.

The Seattle-headquartered firm has previously asserted that it is ready to continue negotiations, noting that the union delegates prematurely ended the bargaining session.

Earlier this month, the workers' group rejected an offer that included no immediate wage hike but a guarantee of a 1.5% pay increase in future years. The union also claimed that Starbucks has yet to present its workers with "a serious economic proposal."