(BCN) -- Baristas at a Starbucks store in San Jose walked off the job on Tuesday, joining thousands of workers from hundreds of Starbucks stores nationwide who have been on strike since Friday. "No contract, no coffee!" the baristas chanted as they held signs and picketed in front of their store during the largest walkout in history to hit the coffee giant. For the past nine months, the union that represents Starbucks employees and the Starbucks corporation have been trying to negotiate a fair contract that includes livable wages and resolves unfair labor practices by the end of the year. However, Starbucks proposed a contract earlier this month with minimal pay increases that the union says are insufficient and "insulting." Santa Rosa restaurant manager arrested for recording patrons in women’s restroom "Starbucks has gotten a new CEO and he was given a $113 million compensation package," said Devasya Kumar, a barista on strike who works at the 2707 McKee Road store in San Jose. "He's paid $56,000 an hour. We don't make that in a year. Starbucks, in the same breath, once again claims that they just don't have the money to give us ample raises. They can only give us a 1.5% or 2% which is just not in line with the cost of living around here, especially in the Bay Area." Kumar said that he gets paid $20.25 per hour, which amounts to about $17,000 a year as a part-time worker. Baristas are also saying that Starbucks engaged in unfair labor practices like union busting to deter its employees from unionizing over the course of 2024. "When our workers tried to unionize, they were union busted which is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act," Kumar said. "They fired workers. They retaliated against them for their legal and protective right to unionize their workplace and to bargain collectively. We are protesting and coming out to pressure the company to resolve them once and for all because it's been nine months and we've been sending our delegates in good faith." "Strikemas," as the union has coined the protest, has led to the shutdown of several dozen stores during the Christmas holiday, which the union says is one of busiest times in the year for Starbucks. "The holiday season should be magical at Starbucks," said Arloa Fluhr, a bargaining delegate from Illinois, in the union's press release. "But for too many of us, there's a darker side to the peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes." Starbucks did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication. The strike is expected to conclude on Tuesday. The union is requesting that people do not buy from Starbucks while its workers are on strike to help put financial pressure on the coffee giant's top-level executives. "We want answers, and striking is our last resort," Kumar said. Copyright © 2024 Bay City News, Inc