FedEx ground stepvan

FedEx Suspends Sunday Delivery in Some Markets

| Mike O'Brien

FedEx is suspending Sunday delivery for its Ground network in some lower-density markets starting Aug. 21, citing a focus on “improving efficiency and reducing costs,” the move coming amid calls from contractors for relief from high costs, including elimination of Sunday service.

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Feds Investigating Amazon for Warehouse Safety

| Mike O'Brien

Federal prosecutors in New York and OSHA officials are investigating working conditions at Amazon warehouses around the country, according to various media reports, beginning in New York, Orlando and Chicago. The OSHA inspections arose from referrals issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

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AB5 Trucker Protest Snarls Port of Oakland

| Mike O'Brien

Truck drivers blocked the Port of Oakland Monday, protesting California’s AB5 law that requires contractors to be reclassified as employees. The law affects an estimated 70,000 independent truckers, many of whom fear losing their livelihood, according to various media reports. There were similar protests last week in LA/Long Beach.

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Amazon Disputes It’s Running Out of Workers

| Mike O'Brien

A leaked Amazon memo from mid-2021 indicates the company feared running out of fulfillment workers by 2024, impacting its business growth prospects and vaunted level of service especially for Prime customers, according to a report in Recode that Amazon has downplayed.

inventory management woman at her WMS

Inventory Management in 2022: Navigating Disruptions

| Mike O'Brien

This special report from Multichannel Merchant will address how the right tools and technology not only provide greater inventory accuracy and visibility, but help you prioritize and track SKU movement within a facility, among network nodes and in partner channels. It will also cover advanced capabilities as well as must-have systems.

CTA Seeks AB5 Hearing Before Supreme Court

| Mike O'Brien

The California Trucking Association (CTA) is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to ignore the recommendation of the California attorney general and instead review an appellate court decision upholding the state’s AB5 law, which calls for recognition of contract drivers as employees.

How Flexible Labor is Reshaping Ecommerce Fulfillment Operations

| MCM Staff

In ecommerce fulfillment, there’s a growing movement toward a more flexible workforce, driven by staffing challenges and a more empowered labor pool. This is having a massive impact and creating huge potential for operations management. Join us for this free live webinar featuring experts from flexible labor provider Instawork.

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Using a 3PL to Mitigate Shipping Disruptions

| David Branson

Consumer purchasing power is only a click away, bringing significant pressure on ecommerce sellers. Shippers need innovative ways to efficiently track and transport orders. To do so, they should consider a third-party logistics (3PL) provider to gain more flexible freight options, increasing operational efficiency and visibility.

Using a 3PL to Save on Operational Costs

| Brian Barry

Using a 3PL isn’t for everyone. But escalating labor costs, requirements for a new facility, starting a new business or channel and avoiding capital costs are reasons we see companies comparing internal fulfillment to 3PL. Here are six major ways businesses have traditionally saved money and reduced capital using 3PLs in their supply chain.

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Talking Ecommerce Operations Technology Summit with H&M

| Mike O'Brien

Sustainability in ecommerce operations, the rise of autonomous vehicles and the need for supply chain visibility were all covered in day one of Ecommerce Operations Technology Summit 2022 in Orlando, FL. In this MCM CommerceChat podcast, Michaela Wallin of H&M helps us break it all down.