(LOS ANGELES) – Tanker drivers at Sentinel Transportation represented by Teamsters Local Union 986 in Covina, Calif. went out on an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike this morning to protest the company’s refusal to bargain in good faith.

All 40 drivers in the tanker fleet stood together in solidarity, forming a picket line outside their yard at 2 a.m. The drivers, who deliver gasoline to Union 76 stations across the Los Angeles metropolitan region, have been in negotiations with Sentinel Transportation for three months with little to no progress. The company is seeking major concessions from the drivers.

“These are professional drivers that are transporting gasoline on our freeways to our communities,” said Sean Harren President of Teamsters Local 986. “Safety should be the number one priority, but Sentinel Transportation wants to put fatigued drivers on the road to obtain higher profits for the corporation.”

Throughout the negotiation process, Sentinel Transportation has been systematically reducing employees’ hours and contracting out work to punish the drivers for exercising their right to bargain. The company, which claims it is negotiating in good faith, continues to bring in replacement workers from Texas. Local 986 has filed ULP charges against Sentinel Transportation with the National Labor Relations Board.

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