Workers at Columbia Starbucks location join nationwide strike

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Workers at a Columbia Starbucks location on Thursday joined a nationwide strike.

Around 11 employees were seen outside the location on Vandiver Drive on Thursday morning chanting and holding signs.

A press release from Starbucks Workers United – the union that represents the employees -- says around 2,000 union baristas around the country went on strike after the two sides did not come to an agreement on a contract.

SBWU named the strike the “Red Cup Rebellion.” Demands from the union include “better staffing, higher pay, and resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges,” according to the release. The company refuted the claims in a Thursday evening press release, stating "When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk."

The Vandiver Drive store is one of two union locations in Columbia, with the other being near the intersection at Nifong Boulevard and Buttonwood Drive. The Vandiver location joined the union in September, while the Nifong location became Columbia’s first unionized store in July.