RICHMOND, Va. β Protesters gathered in Richmond's Carytown on Saturday to demonstrate against what they call unfair labor practices by coffee giant Starbucks.
The local demonstration outside the Cary Street shop was part of a nationwide movement across 35 cities following the coffee company's announcement of a $1 billion restructuring plan that led to hundreds of store closures and employee layoffs.
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Starbucks abruptly shutters 2 Richmond locations amid massive turnaround plan
Baristas and their supporters rallied to demand better contracts that would provide improved staffing, more work hours, better pay and enhanced workplace protections.
Demonstrators across the country took action against what they describe as Starbucks' efforts to undermine unionization.
WATCH: Video shows abruptly shuttered Starbucks locations in Richmond
"There's a lot of layoffs that happened at Starbucks and we're not happy," said Al Gilstrap, a protester at the Richmond event. "There's been one of our stores recently, Arthur Ashe, just shut down. We have some of their partners here in support. What Brian Nichols has been doing with this company has been making us really mad. We are really close to finishing a contract and since his involvement, it's really slowed down the process."
Two Starbucks locations in Richmond, the shops at 1017 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard and 4320 Commerce Road, were abruptly shuttered earlier this month.
Other parts of the Commonwealth to see single-store closures included Alexandria, Fairfax, Lynchburg, Martinsville and Virginia Beach. Two locations were also closed in Arlington, according to USA Today.
Starbucks said it expected to have 18,300 North American locations when its fiscal year ended on Sept. 30. As of June 29, the company had 18,734 locations.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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