Early Tuesday morning, the port truck driver strike spread from the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach to intermodal rail yards that are serviced by Pacer Cartage and Harbor Rail Transport (HRT). These rail yards dispatch cargo to and from warehouses and distribution centers across America.

Drivers followed trucks from Pacer and HRT to customer locations, including the rail yards, and picketed the trucks while they were working at those locations. Like drivers at QTS Inc., LACA Express, and WinWin Logistics that went on strike Monday, drivers at Pacer and HRT are striking to end misclassification as “independent contractors,” a scam that has led to massive wage theft and denied drivers basic workplace protections such as safety and health regulations,disability insurance, workers compensation, and unemployment insurance

“We are sick of being trampled upon and mistreated,” said Humberto Canales, a misclassified “independent contractor” from Pacer Cartage. “We are joining the fight and coming out of the shadows to demand our rights as company employees to provide a better future for our families.”

“Now is the time to end this misclassification scheme and provide a better future for our families. These companies have gotten away with this scam for too long. It’s time to make a change,” said Alfredo Reyes a driver with Harbor Rail Transportation.

Teamsters and other union members in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area have been out to support the strikes at the terminals and today at the intermodal yard.  Fred Potter, Teamsters International Vice President said, “The fight in Long Beach is ground zero for ending wage theft. We see the change – public officials are calling companies to tell them to comply with the law.  We, the 1.4 million members of the Teamsters, stand behind these port drivers.”

 

 

 

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