Teamsters Union News

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…

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.

Port of Long Beach CEO Jon Slangerup issued a statement addressing the status of picketing truckers at the harbor, pointing out that the demonstration is not a strike. “The Teamsters union started informational picketing this morning at the Port of Long Beach. To be clear, this is not a strike,” Slangerup said. “Dockworkers have reported to work and truckers have been able to enter and exit the affected terminals without delay. We do not expect that there will be any adverse impact to Port terminals or our ability to continue the outstanding progress that everyone has made in recent weeks to clear the congestion backlog and return to normal operations.

Truckers who haul freight from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will go on strike against four ground-shipment companies on Monday, a Teamsters union official said, in a move that could revive labor tension at the nation's busiest cargo hub. Delegations of drivers planned to notify the companies of their intent to strike at 6 a.m. Pacific time, with picket lines going up immediately at the companies' truck yards, Teamsters spokeswoman Barb Maynard told Reuters. The strikers also plan to picket marine terminals, rail yards and other locations where the companies dispatch trucks, Maynard said. The truckers accuse the companies of wage theft by illegally misclassifying them as independent contractors…

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Crowley Maritime Corporation’s liner services group and Puerto Rico Teamsters Union Local 901 have reached an agreement on a new five-year labor contract covering union employees working at Crowley’s San Juan terminal. The new contract is effective from March 27, 2012, through March 26, 2017. “This new agreement continues Crowley’s commitment to the trade and our long-term desire to grow and reinvest in the services we provide to our customers in Puerto Rico and the U.S.,” said John Douglass, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico and Caribbean services. Crowley has operated in Puerto Rico since 1954. During that time, it has developed a strong and lasting relationship with the Puerto Rico community and its union team members.

The Bush administration's plan to open an Alaskan wildlife refuge to oil drilling was approved by the House of Representatives early on Thursday, but it faces a tougher fight in the Senate, which wants U.S. energy policy to focus on conservation. The key issue in the debate over a broad national energy policy is the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), home to polar bears, caribou and 160 kinds of migratory birds. While green groups and many Democrats view the remote and pristine refuge as an American Serengetti, drilling proponents contend oil and gas could be safely extracted from a tiny area. Republican-led House passed, on a 240 to 189 vote, a comprehensive energy bill that included drilling in ANWR.