The Amazon holiday strike is perfectly timed. It’s the latest example of workers wielding their collective power

Amazon workers are striking just in time for Christmas, in a bold move aimed at hitting the company where it hurts most during its busiest, most profitable time of the year.

On Friday, thousands of workers at Amazon authorized a strike, saying Amazon refused to recognize their union and negotiate a contract at a New York City facility, per ABC News.

Amazon workers in New York gave the tech giant until Sunday, December 15 to begin negotiations for a union contract, otherwise, they said workers at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island along with other Amazon workers around the country would strike, according to The Guardian. (In 2022, workers at the JFK8 warehouse became the first Amazon warehouse to unionize, and The International Brotherhood of Teamsters currently represents roughly 5,500 workers there.)

It’s a shining example of how many American workers are not only organizing, but also getting bolder and more assertive in their demands for higher wages and better working conditions in a tight labor market with high inflation. (This year, countless layoffs have plagued many industries, particularly media and technology: Here’s a comprehensive list of 2024 tech layoffs.)

As Amazon workers prepare to strike when the iron is hot, they follow a growing trend among American workers who are boldly timing their strikes at critical times when their employers need them most. In just the last few months, we’ve seen The New York Times Tech Guild walk out on election night, when media coverage is critical; airline workers refuse to fly ahead of Thanksgiving, the busiest travel day of the year; and now, an Amazon strike when workers must deliver a huge volume of holiday gifts.

And for some, the strategy seems to be paying off. The New York Times Tech Guild reached a tentative deal with the newspaper for a three-year contract that will guarantee wage increases and “just cause” job protections after members ratify it, according to The Washington Post.

Not too shabby.

Meanwhile, as Americans’ collective anger and frustration with big corporations grows, as seen by the surprising recent social media outpouring of rage against UnitedHealthcare after CEO Brian Thompson was shot outside his Manhattan hotel, it would seem many Americans are more likely to align their sympathy with Amazon’s workers’ demands, especially since Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is one of the richest men in the world.

Bezos has consistently opposed unionizing campaigns in his own shop and Amazon’s anti-union efforts have been well documented. In another blow to workers, Bezos recently pledged to donate some $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, to, as The Wall Street Journal puts it, “shore up ties with the incoming administration,” which many expect will be unfriendly to labor unions. On top of that, the Journal reported Amazon plans to stream Trump’s inauguration through Prime Video, a separate, equally expensive in-kind donation that will cost another $1 million.

That may not be a good look for Bezos or Amazon’s leadership leading up to its workers’ strike.