Starbucks strike to expand to over 300 US stores

A strike at Starbucks will expand to over 300 US stores, with more than 5,000 workers expected to walk off the job before the five-day work stoppage ends later on Christmas Eve, the workers' union said.

Starbucks, which operates more than 10,000 company-operated stores across the United States, said 98% of its stores remained open, with around 170 stores closed on Tuesday.

The workers union claimed more than 290 stores were "fully shut down," and more than 300 stores were on strike as planned across 45 US states.

The Christmas Eve strike on Tuesday was projected to be the largest ever at the coffee chain, Starbucks Workers United said. "These strikes are an initial show of strength, and we're just getting started," an Oregon barista said in a union statement.

The union, representing employees at 525 stores nationwide, has called strikes across 12 major cities over issues of wages, staffing and schedules.