Labor & Economy
Scenes From the Port Truck Driver Strike: An Historic Week Ends
Friday ended an historic chapter in the life of the Los Angeles-Long Beach waterfront as 120 truck drivers toughed out a weeklong Unfair Labor Practice strike. The work stoppage was aimed at three companies (Green Fleet Systems, Total Transportation Services Inc. and Pacific 9 Transportation) that port haulers allege commit wage theft, engage in workplace retaliation for union organizing and misclassify their drivers as “independent contractors” rather than company employees. Such a distinction allows the firms to treat their workers as second-class citizens and to avoid contributing payroll taxes to the state and federal governments.
With no end of the strike in sight, the week nevertheless drew to a close on a celebratory note, as seen in these photographs. A rally attended by the drivers and their supporters was held outside the Terminal Island facility of Yusen Terminals, where a cumbia band, Los Jornaleros del Norte, underscored the crowd’s high spirits. Speakers included Maria Elena Durazo, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and Randy Cammack, International Vice President-West, International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
(Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are by Slobodan Dimitrov.)
Throughout the course of the L.A./Long Beach port driver strike, Capital & Main will continue to run photos from the marine terminals and truck yards where drivers and their supporters have gathered.
-
California UncoveredApril 9, 2024
700,000 Undocumented Californians Recently Became Eligible for Medi-Cal. Many May Be Afraid to Sign Up.
-
Feet to the FireApril 22, 2024
Regional U.S. Banks Sharply Expand Lending to Oil and Gas Projects
-
Class WarMarch 26, 2024
‘They Don’t Want to Teach Black History’
-
Latest NewsApril 10, 2024
The Transatlantic Battle to Stop Methane Gas Exports From South Texas
-
Latest NewsApril 23, 2024
A Whole-Person Approach to Combating Homelessness
-
Latest NewsMarch 27, 2024
Street Artists Say Graffiti on Abandoned L.A. High-Rises Is Disruptive, Divisive Art
-
State of InequalityApril 11, 2024
Dispelling the Stereotypes About California’s Low-Wage Workers
-
Latest NewsApril 24, 2024
An Author Reflects on the Effort to Rebuild L.A. After the ‘Violent Spring’ of 1992