Strike by port drayage drivers continues at ports of L.A.,Long Beach

Drivers, Teamsters and TTSI to talk in meeting brokered by Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti.    Port truck drivers in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are continuing their strike Friday against the drayage companies Total Transportation Services Inc. (TTSI) and Pacific 9 Transportation (Pac 9), said the Teamster-affilated group Justice for Port Truck Drivers.
   The drivers have resumed picketing at company offices and marine terminals, but are also scheduled to participate in a meeting with TTSI that was announced by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Thursday.
   In a statement, Garcetti said, “my office has been working with all sides to address concerns about working conditions and to keep commerce flowing.”
   He said a third company targeted in earlier protests, Green Fleet Systems, and the Teamsters have “agreed to a cooling-off period during which their operations will continue while the truck drivers’ concerns about working conditions are being addressed. I want to thank Green Fleet Systems and the Teamsters for coming to the table and making sure the cargo continues to move.”
   Garcetti thanked TTSI for agreeing to “sit down with our office and the Teamsters to find a way to get its operation back to work, and we urge Pac 9 to come to the table as well.”
   Barbara Maynard, a spokeswoman for the striking truckers, said yesterday six marine terminals in the two ports were picketed and “it is our understanding that the terminals are turning away trucks from TTSI and Pac 9.”
   Lee Peterson, a spokesman for the Port of Long Beach, said while there may have been some affect on truck-queuing times at terminals targeted by pickets, terminals have remained open.
   The protesting drivers say they are being misclassified as independent contractors and complain of “wage theft.” They say they have business expenses deducted from paychecks for fuel, insurance, truck inspections and repairs.
   The workers, who have signed a pledge stating their desire to be Teamsters, stated they want “barriers to unionization, including misclassification as independent contractors, retaliation, harassment, and union busters (also called union-avoidance consultants)” eliminated.
   They added they want a “fair wage for every hour worked, including waiting for dispatch to give us a load, sitting in traffic on the road to the company’s customer, and waiting in line at the port” and “basic American workplace protections, including safety and health regulations, disability insurance, workers compensation, and unemployment insurance.”
   Asked how many of the drivers were participating in the strike, Maynard said TTSI and Pac 9 “together have about 210 drivers (or did before they started firing drivers). I do not know the actual number of drivers out picketing at this very moment (because the fired drivers are coming out when they are able), but a sizable number.”