From Amazon warehouse to port strikes, shippers and the DOT are preparing for an unpredictable 2025

The Amazon warehouse strikes are the latest supply chain headwind facing companies this holiday season, and labor battles — which have been a prominent feature of trade disruptions this year — will contribute to "another year of disruption" for global shipping in 2025. The worker actions at Amazon organized by Teamsters union members come just weeks ahead of another possible strike by dock workers at 36 ports up and down the U.S. East and Gulf Coast.

"The year-over-year 280% increase in strike activity seen in 2023 didn't slow down last year and we didn't expect it to," said Mike Short, president of global forwarding at C.H. Robinson. "We're already helping shippers prepare for a potential U.S. port strike in January."

Industries like automotive and pharmaceuticals that rely on a just-in-time inventory model need to be implementing and acting on contingency plans, Short said, not only ...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]