Drayage driver strike spreads to more companies, rail terminals

Drivers for Pacer and Harbor Rail Transport join a strike by drivers seeking recognition as employees.    A strike by port truck drivers seeking to be recognized as employees rather than as independent contractors spread to two additional companies Tuesday morning and is now encompassing drivers moving containers to and from intermodal rail yards. 
   Justice for Port Drivers, an organization affiliated with the Teamsters, said drayage drivers from have begun targeting Pacer and Harbor Rail Transport in their protests.
   “These rail yards dispatch cargo to and from warehouses and distribution centers across America. Drivers intend to follow trucks from Pacer and HRT to customer locations, including the rail yards, and picket the trucks while they are working at those locations,” the Teamsters group said.
   The drivers from Pacer and HTS are joining truckers from QTS Inc., LACA Express and WinWin Logistics that went on strike Monday.
   The most recent strike by truck drivers began last Thursday, Nov. 14, when drivers from Pacific 9 and Total Transportation Services Inc (TTSI) resumed strike they had suspended in July. (Drivers from another company, Green Fleet Systems, decided not to go on strike, citing “productive conversations with the company owner.”)
   On Friday evening — after a day of dialogue facilitated by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — Pac 9 and TTSI drivers agreed to take down picket lines directed at TTSI and Pac 9, but remained on strike and continued to distribute leaflets. On Monday, drivers from QTS, LACA Express and WinWin Logistics set up picket lines at terminals around the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.
   Justice for Port Drivers said Monday afternoon that “strong picket lines have been up since early this morning at company yards. Additionally, hundreds of picketers have been awaiting trucks at nine marine terminals spanning the ports of L.A. and Long Beach; however, seven of those terminals have been consistently turning away trucks from QTS, LACA Express and WinWin Logistics. Picket lines have gone up at two terminals — ICTF and ITS — when trucks from the struck companies have entered the gates.”
   A spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles reported that there were reports by port police of about 30-40 demonstrators spread out at four terminals around the port, but no major disruptions at marine terminals.