Starbucks is responding as some of its own union workers picketed Friday after Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) baristas voted to authorize a strike earlier this week.

According to the coffee chainthe union is seeking wage increases that are “not sustainable.”

Starbucks says the wage increases its unionized workers are seeking are “not sustainable.” (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/Getty Images)

“Workers United’s proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum hourly wage for members by 64 percent and 77 percent over the life of a three-year contract,” Starbucks said in a statement. “This is not sustainable.”

According to Starbucks, the average pay for its workers is currently more than $18 an hour, and together with benefits, it is worth more than $30 an hour.

AMAZON SPOKESMAN SAYS NO STRIKE: A ‘PROTEST’ MANUFACTURED BY THE TEAMSTERS

“We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements”, added the company. “We need the union back to the table.”

Members of the SBWU voted to authorize the strike on Tuesday before a meeting between the union and the company for further negotiations.

Unionized Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago launched their picket lines on Friday, and the strike will intensify, expanding to more stores across the country through Christmas Eve.

Thousands of Starbucks workers at more than 525 stores belong to the SBWU.

A Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement Friday, “There has been no significant impact on our store operations. We are aware of an outage in a small handful of stores, but the vast majority of our stores in the U.S. United are still open and serving customers as normal.

STARBUCKS CEO SAYS BETTER PRICE TRANSPARENCY NEEDED FOR MOBILE APP

The union and Starbucks began working on a “foundational framework” in April, with the most recent parties meeting in September. That meeting took place soon after Brian Nicol became the CEO of the coffee shop chain.

Charlotte, North Carolina, Starbucks Coffee, baristas behind the counter making drinks. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Niccol announced Monday that the company will “more than double” the paid parental leave it offers to employees at U.S. stores who work at least an average of 20 hours per week. The extended benefit, which will include up to 18 weeks for birth parents and up to 12 weeks for non-birth parents, will take effect in the spring.

GET THE FOX BUSINESS ANYWHERE CLICK HERE

The company’s workforce totaled about 361,000 at the end of September, including 211,000 in the United States in Starbucks-operated stores, corporate support and other areas.

Aislinn Murphy of FOX Business and Reuters contributed to this report.