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Post by FUSION on Jun 22, 2014 7:06:02 GMT -5
Drivers, please read carefully...
Posted on Funny-Facebook: For Truckers By Truckers - June 17
CONFIRMED GUEST FOR OUR NEXT MEETING ON JUNE 28TH WILL BE MR. THOMAS LITTLE, PRESIDENT OF HAMPTON ROADS CHAPTER OF I.L.A. AND MR. ED BROWN III , AGENT FOR I.L.A. ALSO WE WILL HAVE CUSTOMS BORDER PATROL SUPERVISORS SPEAKING. TELL A DRIVER, BRING A DRIVER.
GETTING YOU BETTER INFORMED AND HEARD ~FOR TRUCKERS BY TRUCKERS...(?)
Note: Truckers to picket ports of L.A. and Long Beach, By Ricardo Lopez - April 26, 2014, 8:52 p.m.
Truck drivers at the ports are set to hold a 48-hour strike starting Monday. They say they're denied fair pay and protections because companies don't classify them as employees.
In their largest demonstration yet, truck drivers who haul cargo in and out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will go on a limited strike Monday to protest what they contend are widespread workplace violations.
The truck drivers, from some of the region's largest trucking companies, have accused the companies of illegally misclassifying them as independent contractors instead of as employees. That misclassification results in lower wages and denies them protections that employees get under state and federal labor laws, they contend.
Tensions between drivers and the drayage companies have escalated in recent years. Industry experts estimate that only 10% of truckers are directly employed by companies, and truckers who are classified as independent contractors have filed lawsuits and complaints with state and federal labor agencies to change their status.
In California, port drivers have filed more than 500 complaints for wage theft related to misclassification, according to the state Department of Industrial Relations. So far, 32 drivers have won decisions against 13 trucking firms, securing $3.8 million in wages and penalties, the agency said.
"The era of misclassification is over," said Rebecca Smith, deputy director for the National Employment Law Project. "When you see that nearly every relevant federal and state agency is coming to the same conclusion — that these workers are misclassified — the industry should be sitting up and taking notice."
Justice for Port Truck Drivers, the group organizing the strike, has mounted a campaign to draw attention to the issue.
They have already picketed at local trucking companies' workplaces, and on Monday their protest will arrive at the cargo terminals inside the ports, organizers said. The strike is intended to last 48 hours, organizers said. Truck drivers in Savannah, Ga., are also planning to protest on Monday.
Organizers notched a victory last month when Pacific 9 Transportation, a major trucking company, agreed to post notices acknowledging the workers' right to organize.
Alex Cherin, a spokesman for the trucking companies, couldn't be reached for comment. But last month Cherin said that most drivers were happy with their jobs and that recent actions were part of a Teamsters union plan to push the truckers to organize.
Still, for truck drivers like Dennis Martinez, a 28-year-old Los Angeles resident, the fight is simply to earn good pay for a long day's work.
Martinez has hauled cargo for three years and says he often works more than 10 hours a day, six days a week.
Because he is classified as a contractor by the company he hauls cargo for, Martinez says, he is expected to pay for fuel, maintenance and insurance on the truck he drives. He says he typically makes about $400 a week, which works out to an hourly rate below the state's minimum wage of $9 an hour.
"This system the companies have has to change," he said. "It's been hard for me and for my family because there's not enough, even if I work every day and work long hours."
California began cracking down in 2008 on trucking companies that misclassified employees as independent contractors. Jerry Brown, then the attorney general, filed at least five suits against Southern California trucking companies on allegations of circumventing labor laws.
www.latimes.com/business/la-me-port-truck-driver-strike-20140427,0,3804654.story#ixzz30JYFEhV8
(www.latimes.com/business/la-me-port-truck-driver-strike-20140427,0,3804654.story#ixzz30JYJGW4m)
P.S. Now why drivers would you even attend? (Don't forget Savannah)
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Post by crocodile_xpress on Jun 26, 2014 20:57:43 GMT -5
I can tell you Teamsters do not speak for my interest. I know from attending some of those early meetings the Teamsters union held they are not going to help the trucker who owns his own truck. They are full of BS with these events held in CA and in Savannah. The Teamsters have no credibility in the south with port truckers. I hope the Virgina truckers get it together but they have a lot to learn. Many here on this site have been down that same path. I make enough to survive decent in this port hauling business only because of hard lessons learned but many around me fail. I will just watch from the side lines for now and cheer you on.
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Post by twistlock on Jun 27, 2014 21:36:33 GMT -5
Maybe the announcement of the local ILA president being at the driver meeting is finally a good sign? The dock workers need to help us out on Norfolk. I hear they did this back in mid 2000 but drivers did not remain together in unity. Yes I agree (NO TEAMSTERS) We don't need their anti owner/operator sentiments contaminating the well. Are you reading this Smoke?
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Post by gmail on Jun 28, 2014 15:26:09 GMT -5
amazing!
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Post by FUSION on Jul 6, 2014 13:39:52 GMT -5
Maybe the announcement of the local ILA president being at the driver meeting is finally a good sign? The dock workers need to help us out on Norfolk. I hear they did this back in mid 2000 but drivers did not remain together in unity. Yes I agree (NO TEAMSTERS) We don't need their anti owner/operator sentiments contaminating the well. Are you reading this Smoke? And maybe Twistlock you been inhaling to much of your own diesel fumes. To many times you have these so-call movements and they forget what it was for in the first place. We have had some of the worst operations at the port recently that even with a Task force, visit from VIT/NIT and ILA (now how dumb was that) that we are in a worst place before all of fore mention attempts and visits. Thinking forward drivers you need to come up with ideas to deal with the status quo. Attending group meetings that has nothing to do with the problem confronting drivers now and a continue lost of revenue can a self-aggrandizing, Funny-facebook clown represent drivers when he places his own agenda first before any so-call movement. Think drivers, there are other ways out this. Think, make a list. I'm pretty sure, other than striking, there can be an alternative. The mess being Port Delays and rogue carriers, education and communication amongst ourselves is the key.
Read the Post by HardTimeTrucker:
From the Port Trucker board, all the best with the Virginia meeting to be held this morning. Let us know if we can be of any assistance. There are several members here who wish to help truckers at the Virginia ports succeed in their goal. What is good for you is good for every trucker in the east at every seaport. We strongly believe that involvement by truckers own elected leadership in control is the correct route to accomplish what we need to do here in the east. This site does not in any way support the Teamsters union campaign across America from port to port in their current efforts to destroy our system of the owner-operator or independent-trucker-contractor model. There are other avenues that as a group we can be working together on such as finding ways to strengthen the federal leasing laws, educating new drivers on cost of truck ownership, as well as pursuing certain legal actions against trucking companies who constantly steal and abuse the rights of individual truckers.This website was created and continues to be dedicated to the cause of informing , educating, and organizing truckers along the Atlantic coast in their quest toward demanding better working conditions, wages (truck-n-driver) in this industry so take full advantage of using this site to post and spread the word.
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Post by tammy on Jul 17, 2014 22:53:26 GMT -5
well whats wrong with the meetings in virginia. i am just curious because we are thinking of holding a meeting in charleston, sc in the next few weeks.i try to follow this page as much as possible.
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Post by tireman on Jul 20, 2014 19:40:45 GMT -5
will anything ever be accomplished here in tidewater for the small truck operator?
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Post by arco on Aug 2, 2014 11:59:16 GMT -5
no i dont see it happening
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Post by shortcircut on Sept 5, 2014 20:10:26 GMT -5
your info would be wrong . the ILA never was part of any organization in the past nor did they help us in any way
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Post by FUSION on Sept 6, 2014 22:13:09 GMT -5
Again. How many are willing to organize correctly?
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Post by blackjack on Sept 7, 2014 21:20:17 GMT -5
yes the longshore guys did help us in the past. some of you may not remember that but they supported us several times when we shut down at the port in early 2000. we even went to their own meetings and won that support. ask jim who visits the pt site. he knows well what happened. i am sure he will be glad to post some history on this. maybe it's not the same union leadership involved or maybe it's fault of the current driver leadership. right now it doesn't look like these drivers know which direction they need to pursue. we cannot have any successful actions without some kind of support from the local dockers. how many drivers will stand together at the virginia ports? i bet right now maybe 20% tops. that number should be 80% in order to make any real difference. there is already a divide among ourselves. i do not support or do i accept the current driver organization to be speaking on my behalf. i believe their driver plan is off course. this looks almost like another destructive copy of the last time we had a trucker assoc in hampton roads. that leadership got their self involved with ooida. i do not know what happened after that but those fellows somehow went in a different direction when several of the so called leaders wanted to garb them self some job security outside the box. we should have learned a few lessons from our past mistakes but it appears we now suffer again.
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Post by FUSION on Sept 10, 2014 16:06:35 GMT -5
I do believe that ILA is the problem. You as O/O's can not unionize, but you can partner your resources. I know you must be thinking at this point, but again what do you all want to do?
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