Seattle, Washington - Unionized Starbucks workers in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago have launched a labor strike expected to continue through Christmas Eve, with more stores poised to join the walkout.

"Since February, Starbucks has repeatedly pledged publicly that they intended to reach contracts by the end of the year – but they’ve yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal," Starbucks Workers United posted on X.

"This week, less than two weeks before their end-of-year deadline, Starbucks proposed no immediate wage increase for union baristas, and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in future years," the union added

Earlier this week, Starbucks Workers United announced that 98% of members had voted to authorize a strike if necessary.

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The five-day action beginning Friday will soon expand coast to coast if the company does not meet workers' demands for better wages and working conditions.

"Our unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes will begin Friday morning and escalate each day through Christmas Eve... unless Starbucks honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework," the union said.

Starbucks Workers United is encouraging allies to support the movement by holding small flyering events at not-yet unionized stores. Solidarity canvass participants can fill out an online form to receive a toolkit and materials from the union.