Some Columbus workers joined national Starbucks workers on strike Thursday, in what would be the largest labor action since a campaign to unionize the company’s stores began late last year.

The walkouts, at more than 100 U.S. stores, are scheduled to coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. Workers say it’s often one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks declined to say how many red cups it plans to distribute.

Workers say they're seeking better pay, more consistent schedules and higher staffing levels in busy stores. Starbucks opposes the unionization effort, saying the company functions best when it works directly with employees. The Seattle coffee giant has more than 9,000 company-owned stores in the U.S.

Stores in 25 states including Ohio planned to take part in the labor action, according to Starbucks Workers United, the group organizing the effort. Some workers planned to picket all day while others planned shorter walkouts. The union said the goal is to shut the stores down during the walkouts.

Joining the strike were workers at the Starbucks on the corner of Broad and 3rd streets Downtown, who voted in May to unionize. Workers at Westerville and campus Starbucks location have also voted to unionize.

Bri Shoemaker, a worker at the Starbucks location at 88 E. Broad St., the only central Ohio store to participate in Thursday's strike, said workers are tired of not being heard.

"We just want to be talked to like normal people instead of being looked over," she said. "We thought it'd be good to do it today, to show them we really mean what we're trying to say, what we're working for. We're just looking for respect, really."

Shoemaker said she isn't aware of plans to strike outside of Thursday's Red Cup Day, but workers may take further action if Starbucks does not return to the negotiating table.

Annmarie Norris, another worker at the Broad Street Starbucks, said the company's violations of labor law have made it hard to figure out what's next.

"They're refusing to negotiate entirely at this point," said Norris. "We're understaffed, we're not given enough labor hours to properly serve people, that's the biggest issue."

Michelle Eisen, a union organizer at one of the first stores to organize in Buffalo, New York, said workers are angry that Starbucks promised higher pay and benefits to non-union stores. Starbucks says it is following the law and can't give union stores pay hikes without bargaining.

At least 257 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late last year, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Fifty-seven stores have held votes where workers opted not to unionize.

Starbucks and the union have begun contract talks at 53 stores, with 13 additional sessions scheduled, Starbucks Workers United said. No agreements have been reached so far.

The process has been contentious. Earlier this week, a regional director with the NLRB filed a request for an injunction against Starbucks in federal court, saying the company violated labor law when it fired a union organizer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The regional director asked the court to direct Starbucks to reinstate the employee and stop interfering in the unionization campaign nationwide.

It was the fourth time the NLRB has asked a federal court to intervene. In August, a federal judge ruled that Starbucks had to reinstate seven union organizers who were fired in Memphis, Tennessee. A similar case in Buffalo has yet to be decided, while a federal judge ruled against the NLRB in a case in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Starbucks has asked the NLRB to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores, citing allegations from a board employee that regional officials improperly coordinated with union organizers. A decision in that case is pending.

Columbus Dispatch reporter Taijuan Moorman contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: More than 100 Starbucks stores, including in Columbus, strike