Packed ports and empty shelves: Inside the issues behind the U.S. supply chain crisis

We're going probably full lockdown again in the Netherlands as well. I knew that what happened in Australia earlier this year was going to be a warning for the rest of the world.

On the plus side, lots of free time at home again to build guitars, play them, watch DVD's or my favorite youtube channels again.
 
What I can't figure out is the labor issue . . . don't folks need to eat and pay rent?

Yeah, that one confuses me too.

I get that a lot in the service industry might have used the time to improve themselves and get better jobs, but all the people I know that were connected to the hospitality industry used the time to smoke weed and watch Netflix.

The problem with the above, is that every single person I know who works in an office, can't find people to work either. GF works at a university, and they have tons of open jobs. Even senior positions, where people left to go make crazy money in senior positions at assorted companies.

I get why they call it "The Great Reshuffle", but people used to compete to get into a lot of these jobs, and suddenly aren't. It's weird.
 
Yeah, that one confuses me too.

I get that a lot in the service industry might have used the time to improve themselves and get better jobs, but all the people I know that were connected to the hospitality industry used the time to smoke weed and watch Netflix.

The problem with the above, is that every single person I know who works in an office, can't find people to work either. GF works at a university, and they have tons of open jobs. Even senior positions, where people left to go make crazy money in senior positions at assorted companies.

I get why they call it "The Great Reshuffle", but people used to compete to get into a lot of these jobs, and suddenly aren't. It's weird.
Yeah we have openings for engineering positions that we are filling with interns because we can't find decent engineers. Before COVID we had 5-7 applicants for every position . . . now we have 2-3 positions for every applicant. It's like the Rapture occurred and no-one noticed or something.
 
Yeah we have openings for engineering positions that we are filling with interns because we can't find decent engineers. Before COVID we had 5-7 applicants for every position . . . now we have 2-3 positions for every applicant. It's like the Rapture occurred and no-one noticed or something.

I've been tempted to dust off my resume. I keep reading about people jumping around for some pretty hefty salary increases. I should probably look around more. I just don't want to get into doing web-related bullshit. I just have zero interest in it.
 
Yeah we have openings for engineering positions that we are filling with interns because we can't find decent engineers. Before COVID we had 5-7 applicants for every position . . . now we have 2-3 positions for every applicant. It's like the Rapture occurred and no-one noticed or something.
What sort of engineering?
 
Everyone is working for themselves. Why work twice as many hours for some corporation that doesn't give two shits about me making half as much as I do working for myself in half the amount of time?
Why would I work somewhere that requires me to inject poison into my body, and take part in an experimental drug trial, just to again, make half what I can do all in my own?
Why give my life away to GE, or Dupont, or McDonald's? I work for me and my family, not then and theirs.
A lot of people are eating to the same reality. You may fool some of the people most of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time.
 
FWIW, I was actually surprised that these ports did not operate 24/7 to start out with.

The labor shortage is another conversation. People coming out of a crisis are taking a serious look at their lives, and choosing a different path.

Another largely philosophical discussion is do we REALLY have a supply chain crisis? Are we really concerned that we can't get the teal turtleneck in 7 days? Are alarms sounding because the stereo HDMI, HD, 10 output Receiver will not make it here within 20 days? Things will get there, but the culture of 'right now delivery' is an expectation beyond reality right now.

Edit: I did not finish this thought. Are we struggling to eat? Pump gas? Basic every day existence stuff? NO!

I guess I feel it's a matter of perspective. We are coming out of a painful pandemic (but not there yet.). Maybe our standards of 'normal' vs 'necessary' need to be examined?

Raging Snail.
 
Edit: I did not finish this thought. Are we struggling to eat? Pump gas? Basic every day existence stuff? NO!
I take your point, and it's a good one, but I would say the answer to this is "yes". Grocery prices are skyrocketing and store shelves are relatively empty. When prices go up that much, many people go hungry. In grocery stores I've been to this year, you frequently see a technique employed where empty spaces on shelves are filled with lesser brands or unpopular products.

Gasoline prices are shooting up rapidly this year. For a lot of people, the price of driving to work is becoming quite painful.
 
I take your point, and it's a good one, but I would say the answer to this is "yes". Grocery prices are skyrocketing and store shelves are relatively empty. When prices go up that much, many people go hungry. In grocery stores I've been to this year, you frequently see a technique employed where empty spaces on shelves are filled with lesser brands or unpopular products.

Gasoline prices are shooting up rapidly this year. For a lot of people, the price of driving to work is becoming quite painful.

Lets just disagree on this one.
 
Unions on the West coast won’t work more than a 40 hr wk. That’s for the entire port.

. . .

There's only one noun that matters in that sentence you want to understand the intentional inefficiency, bloated cronyism, and lack of individual motivation for excellence in the LA port system. And it's not west, coast, 40 hour, week, or port.
 
There's only one noun that matters in that sentence you want to understand the intentional inefficiency, bloated cronyism, and lack of individual motivation for excellence in the LA port system. And it's not west, coast, 40 hour, week, or port.
It’s not just the Port of LA on the West Coast brother… I overlook one of the major shipping channels in the northwest.
 
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