Thousands of unionized Starbucks workers plan to walk off the job Thursday after workers authorized a strike "with no set end date," after the company failed to reach a contract agreement with the union.

Starbucks Workers United is calling the strike the "red cup rebellion," since the strike coincides with the coffee chain's annual Red Cup Day promotion. Starbucks Workers United, which represents more than 9,500 baristas across 550 Starbucks cafes, is asking for better pay, increased staffing and a resolution of labor disputes.

Up to 12,000 of the company's 200,000 retail workers could walk off the job beginning at 4 p.m. local time. Starbucks said it doesn't expect a disruption at the "vast majority" of its stores.

The open-ended strike will start with more than 65 stores in over

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