Subscribe to CalMatters newslettershere. Los Angeles / Long Beach / Port Oakland Truck Driver strike Truckers transporting import and export containers in Los Angeles and Long Beach are planning to go on strike on Wednesday (July 13) in protest against a . A group of truckers protesting a state law limiting the use of independent-contractor drivers held a convoy protest through the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex on Wednesday, July 13, snarling some traffic in the area. As the current labor agreement between West Coast shippers and dockworkers is set to expire July 1, logistics companies say a port strike would divert more traffic to Gulf Coast and East Coast ports and worsen delays, shortages and cost increases for a multitude of industries, including agriculture. Its unlikely, LA City Council approves $54M boost to fund LAPD officers who police on Metro, Man charged with hiding explosive in suitcase at Pa. airport; Allegiant flight was bound for Florida, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, DA Gascn suspends attorney who prosecuted transgender child molester, Reports: Kings trade Quick to Blue Jackets, acquire Korpisalo, Gavrikov, Southern Californias mountain towns remain buried under snow with more on the way, Former CHP officer charged with assaulting woman during traffic stop near Santa Clarita, Some California cities cant stop apartment projects as developers use builders remedy, Killer keto? Circuit Court of Appeals. The tensions eventually spurred President Joe Biden to create an emergency panel to mediate the contract talks. Watch David Norths remarks commemorating 25 years of the World Socialist Web Site and donate today. LOS ANGELES, July 1 (Reuters) - The union and employers negotiating a new labor contract for more than 22,000 U.S. West Coast port workers said high-stakes talks that are being closely watched by industry and the White House would continue after the agreement expired late on Friday. Hours before the expiration, more than 150 business groups implored Biden to push for a smooth and swift resolution. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. The ports, collectively known as the San. Prepare for possible blackouts this summer, On the hottest days this summer, California could face an energy shortfall equivalent to what it takes to power about 1.3 million homes a number that could soar to 3.75 million if extreme weather and wildfires harm the grid, state officials said Friday. Nearly three-quarters . Jaime Hipsher, 45, drives a so-called utility tractor rig equipment used to move containers at a pair of Southern California shipping terminals. There, land is tight, so growth must come from increasing efficiency, rather than physically expanding. The last West Coast port labor contract negotiation broke down in 2015 after nine months. The last time the unions contract expired, in 2014, the result was pronounced turmoil at the ports. Dockworkers stopped work for eight days, which gummed up trade flows and siphoned an estimated $8 billion from the Southern California economy alone. Trucks are also moving cargo more quickly, Seroka said, dwelling an average of 3.7 days far off last years peak of 11 days. In 2018, the Teamsters overrode a majority no vote by the membership to impose a new contract at UPS, which contained a new classification of hybrid, part-time delivery driver, an attack on one of the last decent-paying positions at the company. June 30, 2022 LOS ANGELES David Alvarado barreled south along the highway, staring through the windshield of his semi truck toward the towering cranes along the coastline. Truck drivers protest a second day at Port of Long Beach The truckers are protesting AB5, which would reclassify owner-operators as gig workers. This cost will be felt by not only retailers and others that rely on ports for their business, but also by millions of American workers, farmers and ranchers who may face short-term shutdowns at their factories or barriers to shipping their products to market.. Walmart alone has room for 4,000 shipping containers there, he said. Kristy Hutchings covers all things Long Beach including local government, politics, and the environment. In a world contending with no end of economic troubles, a fresh source of concern now looms: the prospect of a confrontation between union dockworkers and their employers at some of the most critical ports on earth. googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); US Supreme Court doubt over student debt relief looms over Biden agenda, U.S. House panel approves bill giving Biden power to ban TikTok, Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles Check out this resource to help prepare for Q4 and 2022. Your name will not be used in an article without your permission. Photo by Mike Blake, Reuters. When everybody else was shutting down, we didnt stop, said Jesse Lopez, the secretary and treasurer of I.L.W.U. Truckers are already concerned about their jobs and now there are more truckers trying to get in the way of the work? This is the last legal challenge that prevented the implementation of AB5. // Newsweek, A Texas woman sought an abortion. But others in the industry cite history as a cautionary tale. The agreement covers 29 Pacific Coast ports stretching from California to Washington State that handle almost 40% of U.S. imports. A broader movement is underway against substandard pay and benefits, runaway inflation, overwork and unsafe working conditions. He had made the same. Africa: South Africa: South Africa - Port Strike Over: 19 Oct 2022 - South African transport unions have reached a new three year contract applicable for the period from April 1st 2022 to March 31, 2025. Dockworkers and their employers . View More Energy-Efficiency Projects Get $1.5 Million Boost from Port View More Long Beach, LA port workers set for contract negotiation talks Talks will be ongoing until an agreement is reached on a new contract for some 22,000 dockworkers at 29 West Coast Ports,. gptAdSlots.push(gptSlot); Nevertheless, signs of conflict cropped up last week, when the Pacific Maritime Association, representing the shipping companies. A: The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of the work and in fact; B: The worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entitys business; and. At this time, Los Angeles / Long Beach port congestion is intensifying, and the east Coast port congestion is brewing for weeks. googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/FW_Super_Leaderboard', [[300, 50], [970, 90], [300, 100], [728, 90]], 'div-gpt-ad-1668097889433-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner2).addService(googletag.pubads()); This means that for an owner-operator being leased to a carrier would become illegal in California. Peter S. Goodman, who has been covering the supply chain upheaval since 2020, reported this article from Long Beach, Calif. [1/2]Cargo containers are seen at the Port of Long Beach, California June 19, 2008. Of the vessels, 46 are container ships including 16 at anchor or loitering and 30 at berth. The two negotiators behind the contract are the ILWU and the PMA. You can find our submission guidelines here. The San Pedro Bay port complex moves 40% of the nations cargo, and almost 30% of U.S. freight moves by rail, Cordero said in a Thursday statement. The convoy of dozens of trucks dramatically slowed traffic on the northbound 110, but the route remained open, according to the California Highway Patrol. Even in quieter times, the prospect of union negotiations at some of the worlds busiest ports presents the legitimate possibility of a significant impediment to world trade. AB5 was signed into law in 2019 and went into effect on January 1, 2020. No more CPM (Cents Per Mile) pay or by the load pay. At its peak, cargo ships could be waiting nine days or longer to be unloaded and shipped off to stores. he had erred and limited the action to one store, severance agreements that require confidentiality and nondisparagement, interferes with employees right to organize. This is why, Planners seek public input on how to connect new San Pedro attractions, Cargo down in LA, Long Beach, but Port of Los Angeles sees a boost in cruise business, San Pedros historic Star-Kist plant building approved for demolition, San Pedro Fish Market strikes deal for temporary spot on waterfront, About $31M goes to San Fernando Valley light-rail line, and to engage community, Snow at Disneyland and other lower-elevation places in SoCal? Nearly three-fourths work at the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the primary gateway for goods shipped to the United States from Asia, and a locus of problems afflicting the global supply chain. Eighteen years later, Ms. Hipsher has gained the security of seniority, health benefits and a pension. LOS ANGELES Last year, and early into 2022, the Port of Los Angeles emerged as a major bottleneck in the U.S. supply chain. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach moved nearly 1.7 million . Dockworkers went out on strike in 1971 and, in 2002, President George W. Bush used the Taft-Hartley Act following a 10-day lockout. The accident ended his working life. Bill Aboudi, president of AB Trucking, says he switched to an employee business model a few years ago, but with the fallout from AB5 looming, many trucking companies that serve the port are choosing to close, sell or move their operations out of California. The Fireboat Protector is an essential part of the Long Beach Fire Department's fleet, providing firefighting and rescue capabilities. Community colleges need to stop pushing remedial classes: A new bill removes barriers to success by making it clear that community colleges shouldnt require students to repeat math and English classes they passed in high school, writes Jasmine Prasad of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges. With todays announcement of the tentative agreement, Seroka said, everyone can now shift their focus back to the work on the ground.. Delays caused by a flood of cargo last year continue to create . googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); City News Service is a regional wire service covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. How to keep Roe vs. Wade in place: The way to keep reproductive rights intact in California is to embrace what many progressives and Democrats often fear states rights and federalism, argues Mark Allen Gabe Cu, a Stanford University student. If you have a news tip or story idea, send her an email to, Copyright 2023, All Rights Reserved, FreightWaves, Inc, Truckers plan LA/Long Beach work stoppage Wednesday to protest AB5, Loaded & Rolling (Enterprise Fleet News/Analysis), U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the California Trucking Associations challenge to AB5, stems from the California Supreme Courts decision against Dynamex Operations West Inc., a package and document delivery company, independent contractors must follow the ABC test, Slync.ios promise to pay employees falls flat after 2 months without wages, Some of LandAirs 450 employees terminated via Zoom video call, Vermont-based LTL carrier LandAir reportedly ceases operations, Slync.io blames liquidity issues after employees go month without pay. On Thursday, there were about 28,000 rail containers waiting for transport a number that typically sits around 9,000 units. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents nearly 22,000 workers at 29 ports along the West Coast, recently put together its contract negotiating team. Mr. Lopez inherited his fathers union slot. And, according to a Teamsters statement, the new contract includes more flexible time-off provisions. . It can be brutal. Plan to buy something online in the next few months? The Port of Long Beach has launched a new online customer payment portal, making it more convenient to pay fees like those for Clean Truck Program registration and permits for filming and special events, drone flights and other activities. 2023-03-01 22:42 HKT The new year saw the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach bring record highs for severe port congestion in the shipping industry, with a record 105 container ships waiting to berth outside LA/LB. Amid continued strain on the supply chain, San Pedro Bay got off to a fast start in 2022 with record cargo traffic in January. Phillip Sanfield, director of media relations for the Port of Los Angeles, told FreightWaves late Tuesday that port representatives have heard some social media reports about the planned protest, but have no other info. He said the port is monitoring the situation. And that means theres some unpredictability about it.. Truck drivers are highly needed, they need too take that hard step and move their families to business friendly states for good. The law requires the following: For many independent truckers, these tests are difficult to meet. Major retailers that import products from Asia have been ordering extra goods as a hedge against a breakdown in contract talks, while stockpiling their wares at newly developed storage yards inside the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, said Sepehr Matinifar, vice president of commercial operations at Pacific Terminal Services, which operates the overflow yards. So-called Class A longshoremen, who have pensions and benefits along with guaranteed hours, routinely earn more than $100,000 a year. Featured. PUBLISHED 1:00 PM PT May. The protests have had no. longshoreman strike 2022. The rail carriers, port officials have said, are dealing with a lack of equipment, such as chassis, which the train companies have also acknowledged. Automating the movement of containers at the ports, resulting in fewer jobs, appears to be a key issue in the current talks. Earlier, a bulletin went out saying that second shift at 6 p.m. would also be closed, but plans were changed, port officials said, and the terminal was set to reopen for the night shift. She is an award-winning journalist known for her investigative and business reporting. In response, the shipping executive instead laid out the chief considerations in DHL's M&A . But a higher level of attention is expected for these talks following the past several years in which pandemic cargo surges and ship backlogs along with new health safety issues have brought a global spotlight on the shipping industry and how ports operate. Some of the older owner-operators, who just love to drive and want to remain independent, dont want to jump through all of these extra government hoops to set up their own corporations and pay themselves a set salary and everything else to comply with AB5, so they are leaving the industry, Aboudi told FreightWaves. In November 2020, app-based ride-share delivery services Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart launched a ballot measure, Proposition 22, to the tune of $200 million, to maintain the independent contractor classification of their workforce. googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); Talks are scheduled to continue on a daily basis until an agreement is reached. "While there will be no contract extension, cargo will keep moving, and normal operations will continue at the ports until an agreement can be reached," the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said in a joint statement. The ILWU represents dockworkers at West Coast ports in the U.S. and Canada, including Los Angeles and Long Beach. Anthony Chilton drives a truck hauling containers between the ports and warehouses in the Los Angeles area. Anyone can read what you share. Walsh, along with union and freight leaders, announced on Thursday that all parties had reached a tentative agreement putting an end to concerns about the potential strike. If the unions push too hard, he said, the shipping carriers will move cargo to fast-growing ports on the Atlantic like Savannah, Ga. If they dont come to a compromise, then freight will get permanently diverted to the East Coast, Mr. Matinifar said. Listen to . Earlier, the start of negotiations was set for May 12 but was moved up two days as both sides consulted with their respective calendars. Railroads are one of the key aspects of the complex and nuanced supply chain which also includes ports, ocean carriers and trucks, among other industries that takes imports from overseas to store shelves. The convoy was part of what is believed to be an anticipated 24-hour work stoppage. CalMatters is now available in Spanish onTwitter,FacebookandRSS. AB5s three-prong requirements would regulate, for the most part, the relationship between owner-operators and carriers. Nearly three-fourths work at the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the primary gateway for goods shipped to the United States from Asia, and a locus of problems afflicting the global supply chain. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; They asked the president to use the tools available to work with both parties to guarantee contract negotiations are completed before July 1. The Teamsters unionization campaign has nothing to do with defending workers: It serves the strategy of the Democratic Party to promote unions and integrate them more directly into the state apparatus and corporate management. Some workers also opposed it, saying they preferred the independence of being an outside contractor, allowing them to control their work hours. On January 4, 2022, the Southern California Marine Exchange reported 110 total ships in the ports of Los Angeles (LA) and Long Beach (LB). The Democratic Party, in the form of the AB5, delivered such an accommodation to the Teamsters, who seek to recruit members and increase their dues base. Some California truckers who move containers in and out of the marine terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach say they plan to participate in a work stoppage Wednesday to protest a controversial state law, AB5, that seeks to limit the use of independent contractors and largely classify them as employee drivers. Of I.L.W.U 2019 and went into effect on January 1, 2020 swift resolution Hipsher, 45, a! Next few months a daily basis until an agreement is reached response, the relationship between owner-operators and carriers didnt... Basis until an agreement is reached at berth a flood of cargo last year continue to create an panel... Without your permission pensions and benefits along with guaranteed hours, routinely earn more than 150 business implored. Was shutting down, we didnt stop, said Jesse Lopez, shipping... 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