Amazon Must Be Labor's Primary Target to Revive the American Labor Movement
Source: Benjamin Y. Fong. "Amazon Will Be This Century’s Biggest Labor Battle." April 8, 2026. jacobin.com
The Gist
The author argues that if American workers want to rebuild union power, they must focus on organizing Amazon above all other companies. Just like unions in the 1930s had to take on the biggest corporations of that era to succeed, today's labor movement needs to target Amazon because it's the largest, fastest-growing company that threatens union jobs across many different industries.
Conclusion
Organizing Amazon is essential for the future of the American labor movement and represents this century's most important labor battle
Premises
- Amazon is the largest company by revenue and fastest-growing major corporation, positioned to become the first trillion-dollar company by 2027-2028
- Amazon operates across multiple industries (retail, cloud computing, logistics, healthcare, grocery) threatening numerous union jurisdictions simultaneously
- Historical precedent shows that labor movements succeed by targeting the dominant corporations of their era, as the CIO did with GM, Ford, and US Steel in the 1930s
- Amazon's rapid expansion as a nonunion employer directly threatens existing union power in industries where unions currently have density
- Amazon's sophisticated anti-union tactics using AI, surveillance, and robotics make it the template organization representing modern capitalism's approach to blocking worker power
- The current US labor movement is at historically low unionization levels, requiring bold strategies focused on major corporate targets rather than smaller employers
Assumptions
- Labor movements must target the largest and most influential companies to achieve meaningful gains
- Amazon's business model and anti-union practices represent the future template that other corporations will follow
- Historical patterns of labor organizing (like the CIO's success in the 1930s) can be applied to contemporary conditions
- Organizing one major corporation can create momentum for broader labor movement success
- Amazon's multi-industry presence makes it uniquely vulnerable to coordinated union efforts across different sectors