Workers at 60 Starbucks (SBUX) locations in the U.S. held a three-day strike over the weekend to protest a breakdown in contract talks with the Seattle-based retail coffee chain.
Organizers said the strike involved more than 1,000 workers at 60 unionized store locations, making it the biggest work stoppage ever at Starbucks.
A total of 270 Starbucks stores have unionized over the past year. However, that is a fraction of the nearly 10,000 store locations owned by the coffee company.
The strike highlights rising tensions between management and unionized employees who have tried unsuccessfully to secure a collective bargaining agreement for more than a year.
In a written statement, Starbucks said most of the stores where employees were striking remained open and conducted business as usual.
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has issued dozens of complaints against Starbucks, accusing the company of breaking the law to defeat the union drive, including by excluding unionized workers from benefits.
Starbucks’ stock is down 15% this year and trading at $98.83 U.S. per share.