(Reuters) -Starbucks baristas’ union said on Thursday it would vote on whether to authorize an unfair labor practice strike at unionized locations to demand that the company return to the negotiating table.

Contract talks between the coffee-chain giant and the union, which represents more than 12,000 baristas, began last year, but have hit an impasse.

“If they’re ready to come back, we’re ready to talk. Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail,” Jaci Anderson, Starbucks’ director of corporate communications told Reuters.

Last week, New York City’s Comptroller and other Starbucks shareholders wrote to the company to resume talks with its workers’ union.

The Starbucks Workers United union said the voting will begin on Friday and bari

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