New York City, United States – A passionate crowd of a few hundred people lined the heavily trafficked Fifth Avenue in New York City, cascading with picket signs calling on coffee giant Starbucks to negotiate a contract with its union.

Picketers held signs saying “No Contract, No Coffee” and “Baristas on Strike” as they lined the sidewalk, blocking the front doors of the Empire State Building, the single most iconic landmark in the United States and which houses an office for the company alongside one of its more high-end signature stores called Starbucks Reserve.

Several demonstrators were arrested. Two of the men who identified themselves as “T-bone” and “Elon” spoke to Al Jazeera about why they’re picketing.

“Stop stalling contracts, negotiate with the workers and sign a contract f

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