Port Truckers Take Wage Theft Grievances to City Hall, LA
Striking Southern California port truckers who accuse shipping companies of wage theft took their grievances on Friday to City Hall in Los Angeles, where they gained new political backing for their cause. The City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution voicing support for the truckers and calling on the companies doing business at the city-owned Port of Los Angeles to abide by federal and state labor laws. The truckers also delivered a petition bearing 27,000 signatures from members of the pubic to Mayor Eric Garcetti's office urging him to weigh in on the drivers' behalf. Scores of drivers have been on strike this week against…
California Port Truckers End Strike
Southern California port truckers seeking recognition as employees rather than contractors ended a strike of freight-hauling companies on Friday after four days of picketing that drew attention to their cause but did little to disrupt cargo shipments. Several hundred drivers, backed by the Teamsters union, struck four trucking firms they accuse of defying federal and state labor enforcement decisions and a court ruling that the truckers were victims of wage theft through misclassification. Many drivers end up earning less than minimum wage due to company paycheck deductions for truck-leasing charges and other costs. A typical worker is short-changed by $60,000 or more yearly, union officials say.
Vessel Traffic Up at Los Angeles/Long Beach
The Marine Exchange of Southern California, a nonprofit trade organization that has monitored and recorded all vessel traffic statistics for the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach since 1923, has reported an overall increase in arrivals for commercial vessels calling into the LA/LB Harbor complex during 2003. Last year, reporting on the vessel traffic statistics for 2002, the Marine Exchange had recorded 5,396 arrivals for the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor complex -- which represented a 5% decrease over the 2001 totals of 5,662 (which was one of the higher arrival counts recorded in recent years). The year 2003, however, produced 5,696 arrivals for LA/LB Harbor, which represents a 6% increase over the previous year.
