Strikes at Amazon and Starbucks for union recognition and better contracts coincide with holiday season to pressure companies. Momentum grew post-COVID-19, spotlighting essential workers' importance.

Donald Trump wasn't physically present at the Amazon workers' strike Thursday, but he's part of the reason the union can flex its muscles with a work stoppage mere days before Christmas.Why it matters: Since its founding as an indy worker group,

On Thursday, Bezos faced backlash for his double date with the Trumps from U.S. senator Bernie Sanders, who says Bezos needs to get his priorities straight as thousands of Amazon workers went on strike across the U.S on Thursday.

Amazon delivery drivers and Starbucks baristas are on strike in a handful of U.S. cities as they seek to exert pressure on the two major companies to recognize them as unionized employees or to meet demands for an inaugural labor contract.

Amazon workers at five additional facilities have authorized strike action, adding to the labor unrest at three other sites in New York City and Illinois. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) announced that members at four Southern California facilities and one in Atlanta voted unanimously to approve the measures.