{"id":28912,"date":"2022-01-24T07:35:27","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T04:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/truckers-at-ports-of-la-and-long-beach-looking-to-unionise\/28912\/"},"modified":"2022-01-24T07:35:27","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T04:35:27","slug":"truckers-at-ports-of-la-and-long-beach-looking-to-unionise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/truckers-at-ports-of-la-and-long-beach-looking-to-unionise\/28912\/","title":{"rendered":"Truckers at ports of LA and Long Beach looking to unionise"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Teamsters union filed a request last week with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a unionisation vote for the 250 or so drivers at XPO Logistics Inc. who serve the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Ultimately, the truckers hope to achieve employee status with the company. They say XPO misclassifies them as self-employed contractors, thereby denying them healthcare benefits and higher pay.<\/p>\n

Driver Domingo Avalos said: \u201cXPO has 100% control over our work: XPO tells us what time we start, where we go\u2026 We have to check in with them hourly. When I arrive, I don\u2019t say, \u2018I\u2019m here to pick up or drop off a load from Domingo\u2019s Trucking.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

US law prohibits independent contractors from unionising, so the union must first convince the NLRB that XPO should legally be considered the drivers\u2019 employer.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re creating a model, a pilot for other drivers across the country to see and be inspired to unionize with the Teamsters,\u201d said the union\u2019s International VP Ron Herrera.<\/p>\n

The union says it has signed up most of XPO\u2019s contract drivers. It is hoping the NLRB will schedule an election for mid-February.<\/p>\n

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