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Research Director, Center for Supply Chain Innovation

Robert Glenn Richey

Robert Glenn Richey is the Harbert Eminent Scholar in supply chain management at Auburn University and serves as the research director in the Center for Supply Chain Innovation. With a background in managerial roles across procurement, sales, and logistics, Richey has published over eighty articles in renowned scholarly journals and has received accolades such as the Cavusgil Award and the LaLonde award for his research contributions. He holds research professorships at the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh and has taught globally, mentoring doctoral students at various universities. Richey is an associate editor for the Journal of Business Logistics and the Journal of Supply Chain Management, and he received Emerald Publishing’s Leading Editor Award. His service extends to organizations like FEMA, DHS, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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Contributor Brief·Robert Glenn Richey · 1 article
Updated Jul 27, 2023

Speed-obsessed delivery economy masks structural fragility in labor models

Richey argues that the modern delivery economy's obsession with speed has created systemic fragility by building unsustainable labor practices into the supply chain's core operations. A narrowly averted strike reveals that the industry's competitive advantage rests on an exploitative model that cannot withstand organized labor resistance without fundamental redesign.

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major labor dispute nearly collapsed US parcel delivery system

“Supply chain fragility and labor model sustainability are inextricably linked.”

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

Critical vulnerabilities exposed by near-strike scenario

Labor cost pressure on parcel economics9
Dependence on single workforce for network continuity9
Industry's inability to absorb wage increases without margin collapse8
Lack of operational redundancy in delivery infrastructure8

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26%Labor cost
Labor cost pressure on parcel economics
Dependence on single workforce for network continuity
Industry's inability to absorb wage increases without margin collapse
Lack of operational redundancy in delivery infrastructure

speed-at-all-costs

business model now structurally dependent on labor suppression

The speed economy requires workers to absorb the true costs of velocity.

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

Next labor action will likely succeed where this one merely paused.

A UPS Strike Was Averted, But Supply Chain Fragility and its Labor Model Are Now Back in Focus

“The delivery economy cannot sustain current labor models under organized pressure.”

Themes:Labor exploitation as hidden operating cost in speed-obsessed logisticsStructural fragility inherent to just-in-time delivery economicsUnsustainability of margin models dependent on worker cost suppression

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