Some Louisville Starbucks workers striking on Red Cup Day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Thursday marks Starbucks' annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives out free reusable cups to customers ordering a holiday drink. It's one of the company's busiest days of the year, and one Louisville store is joining a chorus of over 100 locations in the largest labor action since a campaign to unionize the company’s stores began late last year.

The walkouts are scheduled to coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink.

In east Louisville, the Starbucks on LaGrange and Factory Lane joined a nationwide strike dubbed the "Red Cup Rebellion," according to the Starbucks Workers Union and Louisville DSA. 

By early Thursday morning, workers at striking locations were handing out their own red cups, featuring the union's logo on an ornament held by the Grinch, according to reports on social media.

Workers say it’s often one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks declined to say how many red cups it plans to distribute.

Workers say they're seeking better pay, more consistent schedules and higher staffing levels in busy stores. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort, saying the company functions best when it works directly with employees. The Seattle coffee giant has over 9,000 company-owned stores in the U.S.

Stores in 25 states planned to take part in the labor action, according to Starbucks Workers United, the group organizing the effort. Some workers planned to picket all day while others planned shorter walkouts. The union said the goal is to shut the stores down during the walkouts.

At least 257 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late last year, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Fifty-seven stores have held votes where workers opted not to unionize.

Starbucks and the union have begun contract talks at 53 stores, with 13 additional sessions scheduled, Starbucks Workers United said. No agreements have been reached so far.

The process has been contentious. Earlier this week, a regional director with the NLRB filed a request for an injunction against Starbucks in federal court, saying the company violated labor law when it fired a union organizer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The regional director asked the court to direct Starbucks to reinstate the employee and stop interfering in the unionization campaign nationwide.

It was the fourth time the NLRB has asked a federal court to intervene. In August, a federal judge ruled Starbucks had to reinstate seven union organizers who were fired in Memphis, Tennessee. A similar case in Buffalo has yet to be decided, while a federal judge ruled against the NLRB in a case in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Starbucks has asked the NLRB to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores, citing allegations from a board employee that regional officials improperly coordinated with union organizers. A decision in that case is pending.