The tentacles of the global logistics juggernaut Amazon reach into every corner of the economy, gripping the planet and Workers.

Amazon dominates retail e-commerce with a 40% market share.

It is making major inroads into health care (One Medical), grocery (Whole Foods), Hollywood (Amazon Studios MGM), information technology (Amazon Web Services) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Amazon’s operations are full of flashpoints for potential resistance.

Its warehouses are rife with safety violations and record injury rates.

Its web services collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents, facilitating the Trump Administration’s assault on Workers and their rights.

Its stranglehold includes sectors where Workers have major leverage because they are key to the economy.

Take international transport where Amazon is now a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier, meaning it provides shipping services for customers without owning any ships.

There has even been speculation Amazon might seek to operate the Port of Pittsburg, California - upriver from Oakland - to bypass the power of the Dock Workers in the Oakland Bay Area and eventually have its own fleet of ships.

As such, the stakes are high for U.S. Labor.

If Organized Labor is going to remain relevant, Unions must meet the challenge of building Worker Power at such a behemoth by making Amazon organizing a project of the entire Labor Movement.

But that will require bold initiatives and an ecumenical approach.

Organizing Amazon is Labor’s do-or-die test.

As Amazon continues to spread into new markets, it is a threat to Labor Standards that many Unions have achieved in their jurisdictions.

And these Unions have a self-interest in supporting a broad campaign to protect their existing contract standards by improving conditions for Amazon Workers.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: The Amazon Imperative: Unions Must Join Forces | Portside