Long beach truckers strike again

The strike started at 6:00am local time on Tuesday over accusations of wage theft and employee misclassification against some trucking companies who operate at the ports.

Phillip Sanfield, director of media relations at the Port of Los Angeles, told Port Strategy: “Operations have been minimally affected by the recent pickets, they are targeting about four trucking companies and hundreds of companies serve the port complex.”

He added: “Cargo is still moving through the Port of LA but Los Angeles Port Police are present to make sure that all picketing is done safely and the cargo continues to move.”

The drivers have been on indefinite strike since July this year, in early July operations at the ports had to be temporarily halted due to the strikes. The truckers from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach then took to the picketing line again later in the month.

“The drivers are on strike to protest unfair labour practices, including misclassification and retaliation, harassment, and intimidation for having filed claims for wage theft with the California Labour Commissioner’s Division of Labour Standards Enforcement,” said Barb Maynard of Teamsters Union.

Maynard added: “Workers are being misclassified as independent contractors, and are being robbed of basic workplace protections like the right to minimum wage, overtime pay and a safe workplace.”

The union’s general president James P. Hoffa, joined drivers on the picket line and said: “The drivers have the support of the 1.4m Teamster members and we will bring justice to the port truck drivers and the warehouse workers nationwide.”

The Port of Long Beach insisted that the strikes did not have an impact on the operations of the port, it is urging the union and the trucking companies to resolve their problems.

Art Wong, from the Port of Long Beach, told Port Strategy: “We do not employ the drivers or the trucking companies, they are employed by cargo owners but we encourage the Teamsters and trucking companies to resolve their differences.”

“The picketing line has not disrupted terminal operations but we are monitoring it to ensure that picketers and drivers are safe,” he concluded.