For one day, Americans were left without a latte macchiato.

Workers more than 200 establishments Employees of the Starbucks coffee chain in the United States left their jobs on Thursday, in what organizers described as… The biggest strike Follower The last two years of efforts To unify the company’s stores.

the Union labor union Get elected Red Cup Day To organize the strike, because it is usually the busiest day of the year. It’s when Starbucks Giving away thousands of reusable cups For customers ordering Christmas drinks.

The union estimated that more than 5,000 workers would participate in the “Red Glass Rebellion.”

Juniper Schweitzer, who has worked at Starbucks for 16 years, said she likes the company and its principles, but believes… He does not fulfill it.

“They promised us the world and did not keep itsaid Schweitzer, who was picketing outside his Chicago store on Thursday.

Recurring promotions, such as Red Cup Day or sales “Buy one, get one free” means more pressure on workerswhich cannot separate virtual commands or control workflow.

There was a strike on Thursday Fifth major functional procedure of Starbucks workers since the Buffalo, New York, store became the first to unionize in late 2021.

But it hits It had little impact on sales From Starbucks. For fiscal 2023, which ended Oct. 1, Starbucks reported that its revenue rose by 12%, Even a record high 36 billion dollars.

Starbucks said Thursday that several stores with striking workers remained open. In the presence of supervisorsAnd managers and employees who decided not to strike or came from nearby branches to work overtime.

“We have nearly 10,000 stores open now, bringing our customers the joy of Red Cup Day,” the company said on Thursday.

Starbucks He opposes union efforts It has not yet reached a labor agreement with any of the stores that have agreed to join the union.

at least 363 Starbucks stores are operated by the company in 41 states They have voted for the union since the end of 2021.

Starbucks’ efforts were at the forefront of a period of labor activism that also saw… Amazon workers strikeAuto workers, screenwriters and actors in Hollywood.

At least 457,000 workers have participated in 315 strikes in the United States this year alone, according to Johnny Callas, director of the Labor Action Tracking Project at Cornell University.

With information from the Associated Press