Retailers are reviving an old playbook for managing inventories. Companies have largely brought inventories back in line with sales after struggling the past four years to find the sweet spot between holding enough merchandise and not too much. The WSJ Logistics Report writes that retailers now say they are replenishing items rather than building stockpiles. The shift marks a return to the “just-in-time” inventory management strategy many companies had employed before pandemic-driven product shortages and volatile shifts in consumer demand prompted a switch to a “just-in-case” approach. Executives at apparel seller Tailored Brands, furniture maker IKEA and big-box retailer Walmart say their supply chains are running smoothly, allowing them to better predict lead times and forecast customer demand. But logistics experts caution retailers could change tack if supply-chain turmoil gets worse amid disruptions at the Suez and Panama canals.

The group that formed the first union at an Amazon.com warehouse in the U.S. is fighting for survival. Amazon Labor Union is running out of cash and its leadership is in turmoil nearly two years after its big victory at a Staten Island warehouse, and it still isn’t close to establishing a first labor contract with the e-commerce giant. The WSJ’s Sebastian Herrera reports that the union’s troubles belie the activists’ vision of a wave of other warehouses following the lead set by New York workers​. The group lost two subsequent votes at other Amazon warehouses and failed to unionize another Amazon facility. High turnover at Amazon warehouses, fear of workplace repercussions and efforts by Amazon to stymie unions have made it difficult for employees to organize, according to workers and organizers. Labor researchers say the organization’s goals could take years to achieve, if they happen at all.

• France’s privacy watchdog fined Amazon’s local warehouse management business for alleged employee surveillance. (WSJ)

Global trade flows increased in November. (WSJ)

Canadian National Railway's profit rose 50% despite still-weak freight volumes in the fourth quarter. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Procter & Gamble’s organic sales grew 4% in the most recent quarter. (WSJ)

The European Union is investigating whether Deutsche Lufthansa’s acquisition of a minority stake in Italian carrier ITA Airways could stifle competition. (WSJ)

Johnson & Johnson tentatively agreed to pay about $700 million to settle an investigation into the marketing of its talcum-based baby powder. (WSJ)

The Red Sea attacks are not expected to raise the prices of liquefied natural gas because of high inventories and muted Asian demand. (WSJ)

Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked a Zim vessel at Australia’s Port of Melbourne. (Maritime Executive)

Overseas orders for Taiwan’s exporters plummeted in December. (South China Morning Post)

Logistics company Enstructure plans to lease an additional 79 acres at the Port of Jacksonville’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal. (Journal of Commerce)

A new rail project linking Europe and Asia via the Middle East is stalling because of the Israel-Hamas war. (Bloomberg)

Train drivers at Germany’s state-owned rail firm Deutsche Bahn began a six-day strike. (The Loadstar)

The Australian government plans to meet with battery-metal producers to offer support amid a slump in prices. (Nikkei Asia)

UK-based Fin Sustainable Logistics has acquired bankrupt Sweden-based sustainable delivery company Urb-it. (Reuters)

Food supplier Lamb Weston is accelerating supplier payments and limiting production as it transitions to an enterprise resource planning system. (Supply Chain Dive)

U.S.-based apparel manufacturers want lawmakers to rein in tariff-free shipments to American consumers from foreign manufacturers. (New York Times)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.