Seattle, Washington - Starbucks workers at more than 100 stores across the country are on strike this Wednesday, one day before the company holds its annual shareholder meeting.

Starbucks workers across the nation are rallying together to demand better wages, benefits, and working conditions, including the right to form a union free from retaliation.

In addition to protests at more than 100 stores, Starbucks Workers United members and supporters will gather outside the company's Seattle headquarters, where they are hoping to send a message to incoming CEO Laxman Narasimhan that union busting is not the way to go.

The day of action comes just 24 hours before Starbucks shareholders are set to hold their annual meeting. Employees have asked them to vote in favor of a resolution calling for a third-party assessment of the company’s commitment to workers' rights.

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"Starbucks baristas like me are the ones who keep our stores running," Sarah Pappin, a barista in Seattle, said in a Starbucks Workers United press release.

"We remember our customers’ regular orders, make the lattes, clean up spills, and are often the bright spot of our customers’ days. We are the heart and soul of Starbucks," she added.

The annual shareholder meeting takes place as Starbucks has come under increasing scrutiny over allegations of cracking down on the union campaign by, among others, closing unionized stores, firing pro-union workers, threatening to withhold benefits, and refusing to bargain with unionized stores in good faith.

The National Labor Relations Board has already issued more than 80 official complaints against Starbucks encompassing over 1,400 alleged violations of federal labor law.

Things began heating up even more when Senator Bernie Sanders announced plans to invite billionaire interim CEO Howard Schultz to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on the company's anti-union activities.

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Schultz initially refused to appear before the committee but changed his tune upon threat of a subpoena. The former presidential hopeful has since stepped down early from his role as interim CEO, but is still scheduled to testify on March 29.

Going into the annual meeting, workers have an urgent message for shareholders: "Instead of celebrating the law-breaking former CEO hell-bent on silencing us, Starbucks should respect our right to organize and meet us at the bargaining table. We are Starbucks, and we deserve better," Pappin insisted.

Starbucks Workers United also shared a handy map of all striking locations.