IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envira/v56y2024i5p1521-1538.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Labor organizing at chokepoints along Amazon’s supply chain: Locating geo-strategic nodes

Author

Listed:
  • Spencer Louis Potiker

    (University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA)

  • David A. Smith

    (University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA)

  • Paul S. Ciccantell

    (Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA)

  • Elizabeth Sowers

    (CSU-Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA, USA)

  • Luc McKenzie

    (University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA)

Abstract

Amazon seems to be creating a new hybrid model of capitalism combining some elements of classical Fordist vertical integration, or even the over hundred-year-old “Taylorism†of scientific management, with 21st century elements of labor “flexibility†and reliance on gig labor and subcontracting. This hybrid model offers opportunities for organized labor to gain a foothold within some of Amazon’s vertically integrated nodes as the firm lengthens its corporate commodity chain to grow increasingly close to consumers. Building on earlier work on opportunities for, and constraints on, labor in a variety of global commodity chains, our empirical cases examine how Amazon’s corporate strategies may open opportunities for labor in three illustrative cases ensconced in fulfillment centers—the Fordist vertical integration side of the model—in the Inland Empire and Otay Mesa (both in southern California) and Northern Kentucky.

Suggested Citation

  • Spencer Louis Potiker & David A. Smith & Paul S. Ciccantell & Elizabeth Sowers & Luc McKenzie, 2024. "Labor organizing at chokepoints along Amazon’s supply chain: Locating geo-strategic nodes," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(5), pages 1521-1538, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:56:y:2024:i:5:p:1521-1538
    DOI: 10.1177/0308518X241228991
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0308518X241228991
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0308518X241228991?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martin Danyluk, 2019. "Fungible Space: Competition and Volatility in the Global Logistics Network," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 94-111, January.
    2. Gavin Bridge, 2008. "Global production networks and the extractive sector: governing resource-based development," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 389-419, May.
    3. Cynthia Negrey & Jeffery L. Osgood & Frank Goetzke, 2011. "One Package at a Time: The Distributive World City," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 812-831, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael Grote & Dariusz Wojcik & Matthew Zook, 2024. "Sticky substance with sticky power: Oil in global production and financial networks," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(2), pages 436-453, March.
    2. Jie, Guo & Jiahui, Lv, 2023. "Media attention, green technology innovation and industrial enterprises’ sustainable development: The moderating effect of environmental regulation," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 873-889.
    3. Gavin Bridge & Alexander Dodge, 2022. "Regional assets and network switching: shifting geographies of ownership, control and capital in UK offshore oil [Temporality and the evolution of GPNs: remaking BHP’s Pilbara iron ore network]," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 15(2), pages 367-388.
    4. Deller, Stephen & Schreiber, Andrew, 2012. "Mining and Community Economic Growth," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 42(2), pages 121-141, Summer.
    5. Guettabi, Mouhcine & James, Alexander, 2020. "Who benefits from an oil boom? Evidence from a unique Alaskan data set," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Fry, Matthew & Brannstrom, Christian, 2017. "Emergent patterns and processes in urban hydrocarbon governance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 383-393.
    7. Ahmed, Khalid, 2017. "Revisiting the role of financial development for energy-growth-trade nexus in BRICS economies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 487-495.
    8. Roy Maconachie & Radhika Srinivasan & Nicholas Menzies, 2015. "Responding to the Challenge of Fragility and Security in West Africa," World Bank Publications - Reports 22511, The World Bank Group.
    9. Berdegué, Julio A. & Bebbington, Anthony & Escobal, Javier, 2015. "Conceptualizing Spatial Diversity in Latin American Rural Development: Structures, Institutions, and Coalitions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-10.
    10. Pierre-Louis Choquet, 2022. "Le visible et l’invisible : Jalons pour une économie morale des ressources pétrolières," Post-Print hal-04401174, HAL.
    11. Cidell, Julie, 2024. "Canals, containers, and corridors: Bringing river geomorphology to North America's largest inland port," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    12. Florence Palpacuer & Clara Roussey, 2024. "Entangling global chains of wealth and value through CSR-ization: A critical Polanyian perspective on Weda Bay Nickel," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(8), pages 2232-2248, November.
    13. Andreucci, Diego & Kallis, Giorgos, 2017. "Governmentality, Development and the Violence of Natural Resource Extraction in Peru," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 95-103.
    14. Edward Barbier & John Bugas, 2014. "Structural change, marginal land and economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean," Latin American Economic Review, Springer;Centro de Investigaciòn y Docencia Económica (CIDE), vol. 23(1), pages 1-29, December.
    15. Barbier, Edward B., 2020. "Long run agricultural land expansion, booms and busts," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    16. Johanna Järvelä, 2023. "The Mine or the Mire? Mobilising Place in Natural Resource Struggles," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(2), pages 237-254, October.
    17. Svetlana Tulaeva & Soili Nysten-Haarala, 2019. "Resource Allocation in Oil-Dependent Communities: Oil Rent and Benefit Sharing Arrangements," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-20, May.
    18. Christoph Görg & Ulrich Brand & Helmut Haberl & Diana Hummel & Thomas Jahn & Stefan Liehr, 2017. "Challenges for Social-Ecological Transformations: Contributions from Social and Political Ecology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-21, June.
    19. Ahamed, Sonya & Galford, Gillian L. & Panikkar, Bindu & Rizzo, Donna & Stephens, Jennie C., 2024. "Carbon collusion: Cooperation, competition, and climate obstruction in the global oil and gas extraction network," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    20. Anna Zalik, 2015. "Resource sterilization: reserve replacement, financial risk, and environmental review in Canada's tar sands," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 47(12), pages 2446-2464, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:56:y:2024:i:5:p:1521-1538. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.