Unionized Starbucks baristas in Colorado Springs joined an open-ended strike on Thursday, amplifying their demands for a union contract that improves staffing and pay, among other wants.

More than 1,000 baristas began picketing in 65 stores across more than 40 cities in the U.S., Starbucks Workers United said, including at two locations in Colorado Springs and one in Lafayette.

The walkouts coincide with the Seattle-based coffee brand’s annual Red Cup Day promotion, which marks the start of Starbucks’ holiday season and is typically among the company’s busiest days.

The strike comes as the coffee giant closes hundreds of underperforming locations nationwide and eliminates 900 jobs, part of a broad plan to manage costs.

Starbucks was seeing minimal disruption, with the strike impacting fewer than 1% of its more than 17,000 U.S. locations, the company said in an email late Thursday morning.

Starbucks disputed the union’s figures, saying Workers United is estimating the number of cities, stores and baristas impacted by the strike. The company’s records indicate that “a fraction” of the number of stores and baristas the union said are participating in the walkout have been affected, Starbucks said.

There are about 9,500 unionized workers, or 4% of the company’s workforce, it said.

“We are amplifying the voices of the people who work here. We are the reason their coffee is sold; without us, there is no coffee,” said Raven Caruth, a shift supervisor at the unionized Starbucks located at 4465 Centennial Blvd. in west Colorado Springs.

The store was closed on Thursday as Caruth and about six other baristas picketed outside in the morning, waving signs and chanting slogans like “No contract, no coffee,” and “Are you ready to strike? Damn right.”

About 50 union workers and their supporters rallied at 4 p.m. at the Starbucks at 8193 Carmela Grove on Colorado Springs’ east side, the latest and second local store to organize. The store remained open on Thursday and served a steady stream of customers, a Gazette reporter observed.

Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a written statement that the strike was negligibly impacting sales.

“The day is off to an incredible start — based on what we’ve seen this morning, we’re on track to exceed our sales expectations for the day across company-operated coffeehouses in North America,” Anderson said in part.

Starbucks Workers United represents employees at more than 550 stores nationwide but hasn’t yet negotiated a contract with the company since the union formed in late 2021, it said in late October. Recently, the union voted to strike if an agreement was not finalized by Thursday.

Employees are calling for a labor contract to improve staffing, hours, take-home pay and on-the-job protections for baristas.

Workers also demand Starbucks end its “union-busting” practices and resolve its legal issues. The union has filed more than 1,000 charges with the National Labor Relations Board, including more than 125 since January, alleging unfair labor practices, it said in a media advisory Thursday.

Workers United said it was “prepared to continue escalating to make this the largest, longest strike in company history if Starbucks fails to deliver a fair union contract and resolve unfair labor practice charges.”

The union and the company have placed blame on each other for stalled bargaining talks.

Workers United said its voting delegates rejected an “insufficient contract offer” from the coffee giant in April because it did not improve wages or benefits in the first year of the contract; neither did it attempt to address “chronic understaffing.”

Starbucks said again Thursday the union presented its voting delegates “an incomplete framework” last spring, which undermined negotiations.

“We’re disappointed that Workers United, who represents less than 4% of our partners, has called for a strike instead of returning to the bargaining table. … We’ve been very clear — when the union is ready to come back, we’re ready to talk,” Anderson said.

Caruth said the union has been ready to begin negotiations again.

“We’re standing at the bargaining table. We’re just waiting for them to show up,” she said. “… Their lack of participation is what led us here.”