Little Early Impact Seen From Drayage Trucker Strikes at Port of L.A./Long Beach

Truck drivers from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are going on a 48-hour strike starting April 28 to protest low wages and their status as independent contractors. According to a report from the Orange County Register (here), the strike is currently limited to four drayage companies at the ports: Green Fleet Systems, American Logistics International, Pacific 9 Transportation, and Total Transportation Services. A spokesman for the Port of L.A. told us that, as of 8:30 a.m. PDT, port operations at L.A. were unaffected. A Port of Long Beach spokesman told us picketers are present at one container terminal as of 8:45 a.m. PDT -- the Long Beach Container Terminal -- but it’s still early in the day, and the impact on port operations is still being evaluated.

According to the aggrieved truckers’ website (here), the strikers are “demanding an end to violations of workers’ rights and the pervasive and illegal misclassification as ‘independent contractors.’” They say “port truck drivers work long hours hauling nearly $4 billion worth of cargo every day, yet often receive paychecks below the minimum wage.”

Larger disruptions could be possible if other unions like the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) join the truckers in support, said the Port of L.A. spokesman. But as of the first morning of the strike, the spokesman hadn’t heard of any work stoppages. An ILWU spokesman was not available for immediate comment.