Post by FUSION on Apr 30, 2014 20:17:02 GMT -5
Truck drivers rally for justice at Port of Savannah
Alicia L. Patterson
Published: Monday, April 28, 2014, 9:56 am
wjcl.com/2014/04/28/truck-drivers-rally-for-justice-at-port-of-savannah/
Elected officials, community leaders, faith leaders, and hundreds of Savannah port truck drivers and their supporters are at the Georgia Port Authority headquarters Grand City Terminal, Gate 4 which is at the intersection of Hwy 307 and Hwy 25 until 10:00 a.m.
Short haul truck drivers who transport imports from American seaports to warehouses, distribution centers, and railheads for companies like Walmart, Ikea, and Home Depot are on the front lines of the fight for a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.
These professional drivers work long hours hauling nearly $4 billion worth of cargo every day, yet often receive paychecks below the minimum wage.
Port truck drivers have had limited ability to fight back due to their pervasive misclassification as “independent contractors” by their employers.
This scheme, which has brought untold wealth to trucking company owners and their retail clients, is on its last breath as drivers’ successful claims for wage theft, unemployment insurance, and protection under the National Labor Relations Act has paved the way for an end to the scam.
Unwilling to wait for the lawless industry to transform, drivers – embolden by their newfound rights – are rising up, willing to do whatever it takes to improve their jobs and win a voice at work.
# P.S. to set an example to F.T.B.T. Long way from Kansas, uh. 
