RAB Source Entry 2-Chris

PART 1: MLA Citation

Guy Platten “The Supply-Chain Crisis Is a Labor Crisis” The New York Times, The New York Times Nov. 17, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/opinion/supply-chain-labor-economy-covid.html

Main Idea: The treatment of truck drivers, pilots and sailors and the restrictions that were placed by countries do to covid has hindered the proses of moving supplies and good.

PART 2: SUMMARY

In the article “The Supply-Chain Crisis Is a Labor Crisis” Guy Platten speaks about how covid and covid restrictions are affecting the people that move around 80% of the worlds trade goods or around $19 trillion dollars’ worth of products. When covid hit the transport industries announced that if conditions did not improve that the trade flow will severely be slowed by the conditions and restrictions. The transport industry urged that countries to fast-track visas and vaccinations, but countries placed restrictions that limited how fast trade good can be moved and also limited access to the vaccinations. With these restrictions crews were not allowed to disembark ships without the right vaccination paperwork, so leaving or joining a ship has become impossible: Hundreds of thousands of them have been trapped on their vessels. With countries also putting travel restrictions has left Thousands of truck drivers at international borders have also been forced to sit for days in freezing temperatures without access to food or medical facilities. The way that countries have responded to these problems have been slow and non-improvement that has also had affected the efficiency of the trade routes and networks.

PART 3: REFLECTION

The article “The Supply-Chain Crisis Is a Labor Crisis” by Guy Platten Help me understand the depth of the disruption of the supply-chain and how countries quickly placed travel restrictions and closed their borders without regard for what will happen to trade. The transport industries took a heavy blow with the restrictions that was affected the most by the actions of the countries where the people who have to move and ship all the goods. I have seen a new perspective on how the supply chain is disrupted and why trade goods have been slow to come into countries and be distributed. This cased Crews not being allowed to disembark ships without the right vaccination paperwork, so leaving or joining a ship has become impossible: Hundreds of thousands of them have been trapped on their vessels, with some working months beyond their initial contracts. Thousands of truck drivers at international borders have also been forced to sit for days in freezing temperatures without access to food or medical facilities. Pilots of cargo planes have faced extensive quarantines after completing international flights. With all the restrictions this caused the people who move around 80% of the worlds trade goods or around $19 trillion dollars’ worth of products to stop constantly moving and transporting everything that we need. All the produces that we need and want in our day to day lives are being delayed by government restrictions and the government is being slow to help alleviate the problems that the transport industries are facing.

PART 4: NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“Workers who drive the trucks, fly the planes and crew the ships responsible for moving all these goods — around $19 trillion of world trade annually — have been stretched to the breaking point. Governments have been too slow to act.” (Mr. Platten is the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping)

“This ill treatment may push many workers out of the sector, exacerbating the shortfall in labor that underpins the chaos. In the shipping industry alone, which moves around 80 percent of goods traded globally, there is an expected shortfall of thousands of officers in the next few years, according to a work force report from the International Chamber of Shipping and the Baltic and International Maritime Council.” (Mr. Platten is the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping)

“To keep trade moving, workers urgently need fast-tracked visas, the return of flights to and from ports and vaccinations. Instead, the opposite happened. Draconian travel bans and limited access to vaccinations have had a devastating impact on transport workers’ well-being and safety.” (Mr. Platten is the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping)

“Crews have not been allowed to disembark ships without the right vaccination paperwork, so leaving or joining a ship has become impossible: Hundreds of thousands of them have been trapped on their vessels, with some working months beyond their initial contracts. Thousands of truck drivers at international borders have also been forced to sit for days in freezing temperatures without access to food or medical facilities.” (Mr. Platten is the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping)