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Contributors›Robert Glenn Richey
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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 and efficiency has created unsustainable labor practices that expose deep structural vulnerabilities in supply chains. A narrowly averted crisis reveals that the entire model depends on workers absorbing costs and risks that cannot be indefinitely externalized without systemic collapse.

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UPS labor dispute nearly destabilized entire U.S. supply chain

“The speed-obsessed delivery economy masks deeper fragility in how supply chains manage labor.”

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

Dimensions of supply chain vulnerability exposed by labor tensions

Dependence on single carrier concentration9
Labor cost externalization unsustainability8
Just-in-time inventory margin for disruption7
Worker wage pressure from speed demands9

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27%Dependence on
Dependence on single carrier concentration
Labor cost externalization unsustainability
Just-in-time inventory margin for disruption
Worker wage pressure from speed demands

zero buffer

supply chain has for labor disruptions in speed-optimized model

The current labor model treats worker sustainability as externality rather than business requirement.

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

Logistics networks built for velocity cannot accommodate genuine worker protections without fundamental redesign.

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

“Speed and fairness are architecturally incompatible in delivery economy's current configuration.”

Themes:Speed-driven supply chains create hidden structural fragilityLabor costs are being unsustainably externalized to workersSupply chain resilience requires redesigning rather than optimizing existing models

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