HONG KONG: More truck drivers joined a strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Thursday, one day after Teamsters President James P. Hoffa threw the support of the union’s 1.4 million members nationwide behind the effort.
The truckers are protesting what the union calls unfair labor practices, including drivers “misclassified as independent contractors” rather than employees.
An unspecified number of workers who claim they have been misclassified as contractors by Gold Point Transportation joined the strike Thursday, said Barb Maynard of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Maynard said previously that workers who are “misclassified as independent contractors” are “robbed of basic workplace protections like the right to minimum wage, overtime pay, and a safe and healthful workplace.”
Calls made tonight to Gold Point Transportation were not answered.
About 40 workers at the California Cartage warehouse in Wilmington also joined the strike Wednesday, according to spokesman Sheheryar Kaaosji.
Port officials said shipping terminals have remained open during the strike, which began on Monday.
Port spokesman Phillip Sanfield said Wednesday the strike had caused only minimal impact on port operations, adding that Los Angeles port police were on hand to ensure traffic safety and that cargo continues to move.
