Starbucks workers go on strike in three cities

• So far, though, they're only affecting a tiny number of stores in those cities.

State of play: Contract negotiations between the two sides broke down, with Starbucks Workers United saying the company's offers weren't economically viable.

• The union said the walkouts will continue and spread across the country, ultimately reaching "hundreds of stores from coast to coast by Christmas Eve" — unless Starbucks offers up better contract terms.
• On Friday more than a dozen stores were fully shut down across the three cities, per the union, which expects that hundreds of stores will join over the next few days.

Reality check: More than 500 Starbucks stores are now unionized — but that's a relatively small fraction of the company's approximately 10,000 U.S. stores.

Zoom in: Negotiations have been underway since April.

• The union isn't happy with the terms on offer from Starbucks— particularly a package that offered a guarantee of a minimum 1.5% wage increase in the coming years.
• Starbucks says that doesn't mean that there won't be bigger pay increases.

For the record: "There has been no significant impact to our store operations," Starbucks said in a statement Friday.

• "We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our U.S. stores remain open and serving customers as normal."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with details on the number of stores on strike.