Christmas coffee crisis at Starbucks as baristas strike

Workers are protesting a lack of progress in contract negotiation with the company.

The strike comes at the busiest times of year for Starbucks. (AP PHOTO)

Starbucks Workers United, which began the unionisation effort in 2021, said Starbucks has failed to honour a commitment made in February to reach a labour agreement this year.

The union also wants the company to resolve outstanding legal issues, including hundreds of unfair labour practise charges that workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

Since 2021, baristas at 535 company-owned US Starbucks stores have voted to join the union.

The strike comes at one of the busiest times of the year for Starbucks. But the company said on Monday it has had "no significant impact" to its store operations.

Starbucks has around 10,000 company-operated stores in the US.

"We respect our partners' right to engage in lawful strike activity, and we appreciate the thousands of partners across the country who are continuing to support each other and deliver the Starbucks experience for our customers," the company said.

The two sides appear to have reached an impasse over economic issues.

Starbucks said it has committed to an annual pay increase of 1.5 per cent or more for unionised workers.

If the company gave a lower increase to non-union workers in any given year, it still would give union workers a 1.5 per cent increase.

Starbucks said its US baristas make an average of $US18 ($A29) per hour. With benefits — including health care, free college tuition and paid family leave — Starbucks' pay package is worth an average of $US30 ($A48) per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week, the company said.

Workers say they deserve more, and note that Starbucks' new Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, who started in September, could make more than $US100 million ($A160 million) in his first year on the job.