Starbucks baristas are on strike in three US cities during the pre-Christmas rush.

Starbucks Baristas at some locations are planning to strike on Christmas Eve, starting Friday at cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.

The strikes will grow each day, covering new markets, as the Starbucks Workers United push for better pay for baristas. Starbucks union “backtracking on our promised path” said in a post Announcement of strikes on X.

The holdup could mean a long wait for holiday drinks and popular Starbucks merchandise in the days leading up to Christmas, when many Americans will be off work and school or shopping for last-minute gifts.

Relations between the company and the union have cooled again after thawing earlier this year. At the end of February, Both parties agreed Working together on a “basic framework” that would include the process of securing collective bargaining agreements for individual stores. According to Starbucks, since then, they have held more than nine bargaining sessions in 20 days.

Earlier this week, Starbucks and the union met for the last scheduled bargaining session of the year. But before the meeting, the Starbucks Workers United Baristas Voted to allow. Strike if the coffee giant does not propose a comprehensive package that covers salary and other benefits.

In the bargaining session, Starbucks did not propose an immediate pay raise and only guaranteed a 1.5 percent annual salary increase, the union said.

Starbucks said in a statement that Workers United prematurely ended a bargaining session this week.

“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to come back to the table,” the company said.

According to Starbucks, the union demanded a 64 percent hourly wage increase for hourly employees and a 77 percent salary increase over the life of the three-year contract.

“This is not sustainable,” the company said in a statement.

It’s been a rough year for Starbucks. Globally and in the U.S., its sales have declined as consumers look elsewhere for their caffeine buzz. In the face of declining sales, baristas will. allegedly received A small increase in salaries next year compared to previous years.

Starbucks Workers United represents more than 500 company-owned Starbucks locations.

Starbucks baristas aren’t the only workers to strike during the last-minute holiday rush. Amazon Workers in seven facilities went on strike on Thursday to pressure the e-commerce giant to come to the bargaining table.