History at this port

[JWK]

I'm new here on your forum. I was introduced to this website by invitation from another driver in Savannah who has been hauling for years from the Georgia ports. I've enjoyed reading the rebellious past history of truckers struggling at this port. It's very sad to see the unity among Savannah drivers has been lost in the turmoil. I wonder if their is a chance to ever restore that pride among the local truckers again? Are there any meetings among truckers at this port anymore? I wish that I had been around to have witnessed some of this myself. It's very important for people to stand up for their rights. There seems to be very little of that happening anymore. JWK

[rock5]

there was a meeting held last night in sav mc'd by teamsters. nothing i heard did us any good. some talk of forming a group. i don't know maybe some one else has a different opinion. i came away with more questions then answers.

[savannahcitytrucker]

well do what u want. join who ever. after reading about them trying to wipe out the owner-operator port trucker in new york - new jersey and replace them with company drivers i don't trust the teamsters union to hold our best interest at heart. i like owning the truck that i drive. i'm not going back to driving company owned trucks. i worked to hard to long to give up my truck for a company job. we need something solid here in savannah between o,op truckers to work toward better rates but it should be locally run by truckers in this area not outsiders from atlanta or washington. every time someone started a group here only a handful were willing to stick together so this is our fault no one else. no organization is going to come in here and save us from ourselves for free. that has to be home grown with a little sacrifice. the teamsters want dues paying members no matter how many owner-operator truckers they have to run off in order to replace them with company drivers who can much easier join their union. that's right we are a different breed that doesn't fit their profile of organizing. you better open your ears real good before signing on the dotted line if you want to remain an owner-operator trucker. i don't see them changing what they started out to do a few years back to one step at a time.

[yarddog]

if you own your truck the owner operator independent drivers association (ooida) is a better match. they are not perfect but they do represent our interest better then the union. the union doesn't wont anything to do with drivers who own trucks. at least the union leader i talked with made that point clear to me. he told me once i sold my truck and became an employee they could represent me. why do i want to sell something after working for years to be able to own it. that makes no sense to me but different strokes for different folks

[T Brown]

OOIDA is more insurance company then driver asoc. I don't care for the Teamsters tactics much either. They certainly don't have my back covered. The Teamsters, OOIDA, the trucking companies, and the DOT all want to make money off us truckers.

[badtrucker63]

Drivers we don't need a union just say no to to the cheap ass freight. If enough drivers say no then who is going to pull it. I know a driver who does this and the agent asks him what he will run it for and he gets it. The agent says that's OK because they have room to play with on the rate. If the teamsters want the Savannah drivers to unionize then why don't they have anything on their web site about it. Come on man.

[3594ever]

the teamsters want to run the owner-operator trucker out of business. they strictly just want company drivers to unionize. we are better off banding together ourselves to stop cheap rates. if drivers in savannah would grow some balls we could get want we need to operate. i would like to see a driver meeting called that included some of the older truckers here who used to be involved a few years back. not a teamster meeting but a trucker meeting between owner-operators. your right. the teamsters are not interested in drivers who own trucks. we don't meet their organizing agenda.

[jacob b]

interesting story. if you own your truck, watch your back. i agree with the poster above. they want company drivers not driver owners. drivers who own their trucks stand in the way of the teamsters unionizing campaign because they are considered independent contractors.


Teamsters persist in drive to unionize truckers at L.A. and Long Beach ports
By Brian Sumers, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/08/2013


For decades, the docks at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been organized labor strongholds, dominated by the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

But as dockworkers have negotiated lucrative contracts, other workers handling imports and exports have mostly been left out. That includes most of the truck drivers who haul goods to and from port terminals to rail yards, stores and warehouses, many of them in the Inland Empire.

But that may be changing. For six years, officials with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have been quietly laying the groundwork for an ambitious truck driver organizing campaign, one that could change the economics of the industrial supply chain.
Trucks wait during the lunch hour at the California United Terminal at the Port of Long Beach for the gates to open at 1 p.m. in this 2000 file photo. (Jeff Gritchen/Press-Telegram)
And recently, in part because the union agreed to its first contract with an employer in January, officials have become more open about their intentions.

"These are going to be nasty campaigns," said Fred Potter, a Teamsters vice president based in New Jersey. "Workers are going to be challenged, and we want to make sure they are up for the challenge. This is no different in many cases than preparing soldiers for war. "

Bravado aside, organizing drivers is a lot more complicated than simply persuading 51 percent of employees to side with the union.

Teamsters officials estimate as many as 90 percent of drivers are considered independent contractors - not company employees - and federal law makes it impossible for contractors to form a union. (A spokesman for the trucking industry called that estimate high, saying 70 to 80 percent of drivers are contractors.)

That means before the Teamsters can achieve success, they must persuade trucking firms to change how they conduct business. Trucking companies have balked at that, with many executives saying the independent contractor model - in which drivers own or lease their trucks - is more appropriate. Teamsters officials insist most of the contractor relationships are illegal.

The Teamsters have responded by pressuring state and federal regulators to audit port trucking firms. The law requires contractors to have considerable control over when and how they work, but Teamsters officials say most drivers are not "independent" at all and can only drive for one company. They say trucking companies are willfully misclassifying workers and should be prosecuted.

"It's pretty unprecedented what they're trying," said Victor Narro, project director for the UCLA Labor Center and an organized labor ally. "This industry has been so entrenched. It has a 30- or 40-year history of misclassification.

"It's a tough battle,
Truck driver Tony Melendez hooks up an empty container at California Cartage in Wilmington in this 2011 file photo. (Jeff Gritchen / Long Beach Press-Telegram)
but one thing I admire is unions that stay in these fights for such a long time. "

Alex Cherin, executive director of the Harbor Trucking Association, an industry group, said the government audits have been disruptive, especially to smaller trucking firms. He said both California and federal investigators tend to a use a "shotgun" approach in which they blindly investigate firms, many of which have done nothing wrong. (Neither the U.S. Department of Labor nor California Division of Labor Standards Enforcements will discuss ongoing audits.)

The Teamsters also have encouraged drivers to file administrative wage actions against companies, accusing them of not paying them proper legal wages. A state deputy labor commissioner has the power to issue rulings in the cases, though trucking firms can appeal findings to state court.

"The Teamsters have been aggressive and relentless," said Cherin, adding that the trucking association does not condone illegal business models. "It's typical Teamsters tactics. "

This was not the Teamsters' first approach for this campaign. In 2008, the union backed a Port of Los Angeles policy to require drivers accessing the port to be considered employees. A federal appeals court found that provision, tucked in an environmental regulation, to be unconstitutional and the port subsequently dropped it.

But the Teamsters have persevered. The union made a strategic decision last year to engage in an organizing campaign at Toll Group, an Australia-based logistics giant. The company was a strong target for two reasons: It already considered its drivers employees and it had a long, mostly cordial relationship with unions in Australia.

In January, the Toll drivers were awarded some of the best pay and benefits in the industry, union officials say. But, more importantly for the organizing campaign, the victory has shown other drivers that it is possible to create a union. This is particularly important for port truck drivers who are already classified as employees and could form a union with a simple vote.

"Drivers want to organize," Narro said. "Once you get in the door - once you get this first union - it creates a ripple effect. "

James Love, 47, who drives for non-union American Logistics International in Carson, said news of the contract - workers at Toll now earn about $6 an hour more than before and have heavily subsidized health insurance - traveled quickly throughout the trucking community.

"It went through the ports like wildfire," said Love, a union advocate. "You see what has happened with Toll and you realize it can happen anywhere. And right now, Toll is a better company for it. "

Potter, the union vice president, said he did not want to divulge too much of his strategy. But in a recent interview, he said the Teamsters employ eight full-time organizers for the port trucking campaign, and he said they plan to lead campaigns at more trucking firms soon. He also said the campaign has plans for two or three more organizers.

But other companies may fight back harder than Toll. According to union officials, many have already hired so-called persuaders - or professional consultants who speak to drivers about the perils of unions at captive audience meetings.

Cherin, who speaks for the roughly 70 licensed trucking firms, said companies are prepared for the onslaught. He said unions have been trying to organize drivers ever since Congress deregulated the industry in 1980.

"This is just the latest chapter," Cherin said. "At some point you need to ask yourself, 'Why are they having such a hard time organizing?' "

Cherin also said member businesses stand by the legality of their independent contractor models. And he said firms will fight to maintain their business models, though he declined to compare what is happening at the ports to war.

"I don't know if it's war," Cherin said. "It's a strong difference of opinion on who determines how a business should be run. "

[pop]

i am for forming our own trucker assoc. in savannah? do we really need outside help? what about owner operator independent driver association in grain valley, mo? someone could ask them for advice how to do this. i heard that savannah had a strong group at one time. can that happen again?

[Kim]

Hey everyone why not start our own independent driver assoc in Savannah? What would it take to get that going? My husband says the union cannot address the concerns of individual truck owners so why bother wasting time with them. We need a group that understands our business. Who is better equipped to do that then drivers whom already own trucks in Savannah.

[showtime]

that has been tried before in savannah gang. it was a good thing while the meetings lasted but most drivers here at this port lose interest real fast. i find it like dealing with a bunch of preschoolers who have to be entertained to attend. no one was serious about our trucking problems other then the guys who called the meetings. anyone trying this again would be advised to bring crayons or pole dancers to the gathering. maybe then it will work for a few weekends? seriously guys, i think ooida would be a good start if anyone could get them involved with help on legal issues. we have with companies in savannah who refuse to do the right thing. they know drivers won't do a d**n thing about the stealing going on so this invites corruption. asking the port authority for any help is another waste of time. they enjoy the dog eat dog business model here to attract more cheap customers so we're on our own with whatever is created. i'm not lifting a finger to help until i see more interest among local drivers then what is out here now. i remember past history when a small minority busted ass while the majority they remained on the fence to d**n scared to step up to the plate. nope someone get it started and i'm sure drivers will come but you better tell them to grow some balls this time around

[trucker4]

suggestion-hold a meeting that makes sense for owner-op's. i will bring a couple drivers when i come. no matter how many times it has been tried we need a trucker association in savannah today.

[jim]

this keeps coming up but i don't ever see a meeting posted here. i suggest a meeting for owner-drivers would be a good start in this port area. include everyone not just container truckers. i think we can help each other with info based on our multi experiences. what do we have to lose? any thoughts?