Starbucks workers nationwide ramped up an ongoing strike on Tuesday, prompting the closure of at least 170 stores.

The five-day strike began Friday and initially shut down Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle before spreading to cafes in recent Jersey, recent York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Denver, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, according to Starbucks Workers United.

The union said Tuesday morning it expected more than 5,000 workers to walk out of 300 locations across 45 states. Starbucks said Tuesday afternoon, however, that only 170 stores “did not open as planned.”

Dubbed “The Strike Before Christmas” by the union, the labor stoppage comes as Starbucks and union reps failed to reach an agreement after making some headway in the early months of 2024. The union said it engaged in “hundreds of hours of bargaining” and the business ultimately presented workers with a package that did not meet its wage or working state demands.

The economic package did not include a current wage boost for union baristas and promised a bump of 1.5% to pay in the coming years, amounting to less than 50 cents for most workers, the union said in a press statement shared with USA TODAY.

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“I am paid $15.49 an hour as a barista … Half the baristas in my store drive 30 minutes one way because they can’t afford to live closer to work,” said Ashland, Oregon barista Lauren Hollingsworth in a press statement. “That’s absurd. Starbucks has lost its way. We recognize because we view it every day in our stores.”

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Starbucks says ‘few disruptions’ won’t impact operations

The days before Christmas are traditionally one of Starbucks’ busiest times of the year, said the union. This year, they are being dominated by what the union calls the largest strike in Starbucks history to date.

Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee said the “few disruptions” are expected to have a “very limited impact” on business operations.

In a statement shared with USA TODAY Tuesday, Starbucks said that 98% of stores with over 200,000 green apron partners were continuing to operate and serve customers.

“We regard our partners’ correct to engage in lawful strike activity, and we appreciate the thousands of partners across the country who are continuing to back each other and deliver the Starbucks encounter for our customers,” Gee released in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Monday.

“The union chose to walk away from bargaining last week. We are ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the bargaining table,” it said.

Hundreds of stores join union action

Late last week, Starbucks Workers United cautioned the strike could reach “hundreds of stores” by Christmas Eve. Union reps said 98% of union partners recently voted to protest low wages, staffing issues and benefits.

Starbucks Workers United represents employees at 525 of Starbucks’ 11,000 stores nationwide, monetary reporting for 11,000 of Starbucks’ roughly 200,000 total employees. In 2024, over 100 stores voted to join the union, including six recent ones just this week in Maine, North Carolina, Texas, recent York City, and Seattle.

The union said Tuesday that its representatives are ready to yield to the bargaining table to address its concerns about unfair labor practices and wages.

Starbucks has been the subject of hundreds of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaints in recent years, including one resolved last year where the business was found to have committed “hundreds of unfair labor practices” during unionization efforts at its Buffalo, recent York stores.

This narrative has been updated to add recent information.