Unionized Starbucks workers voted to authorize a strike.

“During: 98% of SBWU baristas vote to authorize a ULP strike if necessary, just DAYS before our emergency campaign call on Thursday at 8:30pm PT / 5:30 pm ET,” Starbucks Workers United told X on Tuesday.

The possible strike authorization came before a meeting scheduled for Tuesday between Starbucks Workers United and the company for new negotiations.

The union said Starbucks has yet to bring a comprehensive economic package to the table, while hundreds of legal disputes over unfair labor practices remain unresolved. The union has also advocated for higher wages, increased staffing and improved hours.

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Starbucks baristas behind a counter in Charlotte, NC (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)

The unionized workers have not yet defined the timing of a possible strike.

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

SBWU bargaining delegate Silvia Baldwin said in a statement that “it was time to finalize a foundational framework that includes significant investment in baristas and resolve allegations of unfair labor practices.”

“We are ready to focus on the future by solving ULP and locking in the support and protections we need to do our jobs well and thrive,” he said. “We know that baristas are fundamental to the operation of the company, which is why we are bringing pragmatic solutions to the negotiating table.”

A cup outside a Starbucks coffee shop in Albany, New York on January 30, 2024. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)

“This is disappointing the union is considering a strike instead of focusing on extremely productive negotiations,” a Starbucks spokesperson told FOX Business. “Since April, we have scheduled and attended more than eight multi-day bargaining sessions where we reached 30 significant agreements on dozens of issues that United Workers delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues.”

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The spokesman also said the coffee shop chain “remains committed to working together and is committed to reaching a definitive framework agreement.”

A Starbucks Coffee sign in Warsaw, Poland, on July 31, 2024. (Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

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 Niccol brain became the CEO of the coffee shop chain.

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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.

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.

Reuters contributed to this report.