The United States is facing a double blow from the strikes of railroad workers and truck drivers! <span influence.
Truck drivers at three major ports in the Western United States have gone on strike! Los Angeles/Port of Long Beach will go on strike on July 13th, US time. The Port of Oakland will go on strike starting on the 18th U.S. time. According to the latest news at 4 pm U.S. time on Wednesday, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach About 100 truck drivers have stopped work in protest against the controversial legislation. A spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles confirmed Wednesday morning that the shutdown did not disrupt activity at the terminal. “The Port of Los Angeles Police will assist in ensuring that parties are able to express their First Amendment rights while ensuring the port continues to operate safely,” the spokesperson said. The Port of Long Beach also confirmed Wednesday that access to Marina access roads and roads remain open.
Previously, according to US media reports, some truck drivers transporting containers at the marine terminal of the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach reported that they planned to participate in a strike on Wednesday to protest a controversial state law AB5. The legislationseeks toreclassify many independentcontractor modeldrivers into an employee model.
On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the California Trucking Association’s lawsuit against AB5 and sent the case back to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
One owner and operator planning to participate in the port strike said he does not want to become an employee driver and would prefer to remain an independent contractor. Gordon Reimer, manager of Southern California-based FHE Express, which uses 75 owners and operators to move cargo between ports in Southern California, many of whom plan to attend Wednesday’s event strike. He has notified trucking company customers that the strike may cause shipment delays.
Port of Los Angeles media director Phillip Sanfield told reporters late Tuesday that port representatives had heard some social media reports of a planned strike but “no other information” and the port was working on Monitor this situation.
It is reported that during the strike, some gates at the Long Beach Container Terminal will be temporarily closed! This move will have an impact on picking up and returning boxes! It is unclear how many independent contractors or owner-operators plan to participate in the strike.
The Port of Oakland will go on strike on the 18th US time
In the north, several trucking companies transporting containers to and from the Port of Oakland have been notified by owner-operators that they plan to start operations next Monday ( July 18) strike.
AB Trucking President Bill Aboudi said that it switched to an employment-based business model a few years ago, but as the impact of AB5 gradually became apparent, many trucking companies serving California ports chose to close, sell or transfer their operations. Move out of California. Some older owner-operators are being forced out of the industry. Some young independent operators are either finding another career or leaving California entirely to drive trucks elsewhere.
“We think inflation is high right now; if we don’t cancel AB5, we’re going to see the cost of operating a trucking business skyrocket.” Bill Aboudi said.
Facing the railway labor deadlock deadline, a general strike by railway workers may be triggered next Monday! U.S. President Joe Biden will also face a deadline next week to intervene in national railroad labor negotiations involving 115,000 workersRailwayworkers, otherwise a strike or lockout will result. This could threaten thealready fragile economy and lead to disruptions in food and fuel supplies. The stakes are high for Biden, who wants to address supply chain issues that are fueling inflation and has struggled to reach a deal in key labor talks at West Coast seaports, though Three major ports in the West and West have announced strikes. If the president refuses to appoint a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) to intervene in railroad labor negotiations before 12:01 EST next Monday, the railroad and the union can choose to suspend operations or strike respectively. If appointed, the committee will make recommendations that will serve as a framework for voluntary resolution of the issues. The shutdown will exacerbate congestion at U.S. coastal ports and put pressure on already strained supply chains. U.S. business groups representing retailers, food and fuel manufacturers addressed theThe letter warned of the <span impact. Including rail shipments of everything from Amazon packages to fuel oil and soybeans, any kind of shutdown could push up prices for essential goods and upend damaged supply chains. The rail talks come at a bad time for Biden, whose administration is also dealing with negotiations involving more than 22,000 U.S. West Coast workers at 29 seaports from Washington to California, including America’s busiest Los Angeles/Long Beach. Negotiations between major freight railroads including Union Pacific and Berkshire Hathaway and union representatives have dragged on for more than two years. If appointed, the PEB has 30 days to make a non-binding settlement proposal. No work stoppages are allowed during this period and for 30 days after the report is released. If employers or unions reject these recommendations, Congress can intervene. The Association of Locomotive Engineers and Train Workers (BLET), which represents 23,000 workers affected by the negotiations, said on Tuesday that more than 99% of its members voted to approve the strike . The U.S. rail industry is already suffering from staff shortages that have affected fertilizer shipments and caused congestion at major U.S. seaports. In May, the head of the independent federal agency that oversees the rail industry issued harsh criticism, saying railroad companies had cut 45,000 jobs over the past six years, or almost 30% of their workforce. American freight railroads assured investors that they are negotiating with unions on pay, leave and health care cost-sharing issues and are making progress on hiring and retention. “It remains in the best interests of all parties and the public to resolve this dispute, provide timely pay increases for all railroad employees, and prevent disruptions to rail service.” The National Railroad Labor Congress (NRLC) said in the latest expressed during the negotiations. </span
