RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In Richmond, several Starbucks employees joined the picket line Wednesday, joining thousands across the country calling for better pay and working conditions. The company's unionized workers held strikes at more than 300 stores in dozens of cities nationwide, the union Starbucks Workers United said. The work stoppages on Christmas Eve marked the final wave of a five-day strike meant to disrupt Starbucks during one of the busiest times of the year. Starbucks Workers United, which began the unionization effort in 2021, said they’ve been in contract negotiations with the company since February. (Photo: Brad Vassar, 8News)(Photo: Brad Vassar, 8News)(Photo: Brad Vassar, 8News)(Photo: Brad Vassar, 8News)(Photo: Brad Vassar, 8News)(Photo: Brad Vassar, 8News) They're proposing a minimum of $20 an hour for workers, which is already the wage in California, instead of the $17.50 they make now, according to a spokesperson with Starbucks Workers. The spokesperson also cited retaliatory firings and unilateral hour cuts for more than 8,000 baristas and shift supervisors as examples of unfair labor practices. They claim that Starbucks is refusing to compromise and engaging in bad-faith bargaining. “There's no Starbucks without us, Starbucks can't make any money without us,” Mueller said. “We are the people that make the coffee. The higher-ups in Starbucks need to know that we're here to demand change. We're here to demand better things for us, and we're going to get that contract.” Starbucks said in a statement that the union had proposed an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, as well as an overall 77% raise over the duration of a three-year contract. "This is not sustainable," a Starbucks spokesperson said.