Tag: labor

Guest Post: The Dangerous State of Air Traffic Control in the U.S.

Temple U. Professor Misty Blessley brings up a very timely OM issue-air safety.

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) has recently experienced multiple air traffic control outages, during which radar and communication systems used to track aircraft temporarily went offline. These disruptions have lasted up to 90 seconds in several incidents. Flights into and out of EWR have decreased by approximately 35% as a result.

When an outage occurs, air traffic controllers may issue a ground stop, essentially a pause in departures, similar to a real-life game of “red light, green light”—for planes awaiting take off. While Module D of your Heizer/Render/Munson textbook introduces queuing theory, the real-
time queues at EWR are available here. In practice, incoming planes may be directed into holding patterns that resemble stacked racetracks in the sky.

However, when radar and communication systems go dark, there’s no safe way to guide aircraft into these stacks or maintain proper separation. Once communication is restored, controllers must work through the resulting queues to safely sequence and clear aircraft for landing. Outages lead to flight delays and cancellations while also raising serious safety concerns. How can the skies be stabilized?

Modernize Technology – Many Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) systems still rely on outdated technology, including some that operate on decades-old hardware such as floppy disks. The federal government is actively working to modernize these systems by investing in updated
software, hardware, and communication networks.

Support and Expand the Workforce – During the recent incidents at EWR, some air traffic controllers have taken trauma leave, underscoring the high-stress nature of the profession. The U.S. has been facing a persistent shortage of qualified air traffic controllers, due in part to limited training capacity—currently, only one FAA facility is responsible for training controllers. With low acceptance rates and rigorous requirements, meeting demand has been challenging. However, efforts are underway, including the involvement of new schools, to expand training opportunities and help grow the workforce.

Classroom discussion questions:
1. In Ch. 17, Maintenance and Reliability is discussed and Ch. 6 covers Managing Quality. What lessons can be applied to make the skies safer?
2. What domino effects are likely to ensue once the plane has safely landed? What do you think can be done to attract more air traffic controllers?

Guest Post: The New Labor Landscape and the Gig Worker

Dr. Misty Blessley is Associate Professor of Statistics, Operations, and Data Science at Temple University.

Operations and supply chain managers are frequently faced with the need to vary the size of their workforce, a topic in the Aggregate Planning chapter (Ch. 13) in your Heizer/Render/Munson text. The need to do so can be for many reasons, but during the peak holiday season when companies typically add staff, managers needed to do the opposite in 2022. A challenging economic outlook meant layoffs for many light industrial workers holding jobs in product assembly, warehouse operations and order fulfillment.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 13,000 warehouse jobs were cut last November. This might lead one to conclude that supply chain managers could have their pick from an abundance of qualified candidates. However, operations and supply chain workers are flexing their newfound ability to make choices about when, where, and how they work.

A recent article in Supply & Demand Chain Executive states: “We anticipate increased adoption of a more gig-like model as employers in manufacturing, logistics, fulfillment and supply chain seek to offer the types of things employees really want.” A more gig-like model means that employers use hourly workers based on current business needs, which is known as workforce-as-a-service. A person who accepts this type of work, as opposed to working as a company employee, is known as a gig worker. The shift from traditional employment models to a new labor landscape is occurring. This is because the COVID pandemic brought job flexibility that is here to stay, and it does not exclude work in light industrials.

If firms are going to attract the best gig workers, they need to understand what gig workers want. While some gig workers accept gigs, in addition to traditional employment, to combat the increasing cost of living, others rely exclusively on gigs. But both groups report that money isn’t everything. Workers want flexibility, to enjoy the work they perform and to advance their careers. As mentioned, last season many managers were faced with how to correct being overstaffed. Workforce-as-a-service as a means to varying workforce size, presents a new way of thinking for management.

Classroom discussion questions:
1. How can gig workers be incorporated into aggregate planning?
2. To which components of job design can gig work most likely appeal?