Shipyard workers stopped repairing trucks owned by Universal Logistics Holdings at a terminal in the Port of Los Angeles on Wednesday

Shipyard workers stopped repairing trucks owned by Universal Logistics Holdings at a terminal in the Port of Los Angeles on Wednesday, in support of truck drivers who went on strike on Monday.

Teamsters said in a statement,

"Today is a new day for the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Together with workers from all over Southern California, we have said in a voice that the days when port officials and trucking companies can trample on our rights without consequences have passed, and will end forever. Yes. We proved today that our union and unity as workers are very powerful. We are very grateful to the Los Angeles County Labor Union, the Migrant Workers Union, the brothers and sisters of SEIU 721 and ILWU Local 13 who joined us today to support the strike of the port truck Drivers, demand their union and basic rights as employees."

The striker said that Universal Logistics Holdings (ULH) refused to recognize its union and illegally fired employees who voted for Teamsters, refusing to give them sick leave, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, workers' compensation and health insurance.

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The company allegedly fired several drivers in an attempt to intimidate other employees seeking to form a union. When employees in one place vote to join the union, the employer terminates the entire workforce contract.

The complaint also stated that the company failed and refused to negotiate the contract in good faith.

The full text of the complaint:

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20615620/ulh-nlrb-complaint.pdf

The closure of the terminal has brought greater operational pressure to the already congested port!

According to the Teamsters, the US Department of Labor’s Wages and Hours Department conducted an investigation from 2009 to 2011 and found that the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (Fair Labor Standards Act). ). The union reported that investigators found 103 drivers were misclassified and did not receive the minimum wage.

The union said that after the final court decision in 2016, 11 container connection drivers received $2.2 million in compensation for wage theft. The company is also facing six other misclassification lawsuits in California courts.

The agency also said that the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement) also has 12 claims for misclassification of wages and working hours.

The demands of the union strike are as follows:

01. Re-employ the dismissed driver and repay the salary;

02. Respect the right of drivers to form a trade union;

03. Negotiate in good faith to reach a collective bargaining agreement;

04. Stop erroneously classifying drivers as independent contractors.

The Twitter page of the Truckers Union called on truck drivers to take action, stating that “port truck drivers are essential workers, but the (ULH) company treats them badly and illegally classifies them as independent contractors. This is Unacceptable, it's time to support the port truck drivers on strike."

Ron Herrera, Director of the Port Department of the International Brotherhood of Truckers, said,

“Universal Logistics Holdings (ULH) affiliated companies illegally fired union drivers in order to continue to make billions of dollars in profits from them, and truck drivers refuse to stand by. We must bring justice to the workers and make this illegal enterprise pay the price, We stand with the drivers who are on strike. During the epidemic, port truck drivers have been the backbone of our economy, and they have allowed our communities through those difficult times."

At the same time, the strike is drawing more attention to the situation. Due to traffic congestion in California ports, truck drivers may hope that their strike will be resolved soon.

As the satellite tracking data map shows, the record shipping congestion in San Pedro Bay shows little sign of abating.

Mike Foreign Trade said to remind you that if you have goods sent to this place recently, pay attention to the logistics delays~