Truckers. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Hundreds of Independent Truckers Protest AB 5 at California’s Busiest Ports
Port of Oakland truckers plan Monday demonstration against independent contractor law
By Katy Grimes, July 15, 2022 11:38 am
Reports from Northern and Southern California this week found hundreds of justifiably angry independent truckers protesting the state’s independent contractor law, Assembly Bill 5, at the state’s busiest ports.
“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,” the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
“California truckers turned off their trucks, blocked terminals or staged slow rolls to snarl traffic around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Wednesday to express frustration over a controversial state law, AB5, that seeks to limit the use of independent contractors and largely classify them as employee drivers,” FreightWaves reported. “Port of Oakland truckers plan a Monday demonstration against the independent contractor law.”
“The intent of this self-serving piece of legislation is to deprive 70,000-plus small business trucking companies of their ability to earn a living in this state,” said Gordon Reimer, manager of Southern California-based FHE Express.
He is right. AB 5, written by the AFL-CIO, is a union sponsored law that redefined millions of independent contractors as employees. AB 5 was authored by former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego). Gonzalez, a community organizer and activist, as well as a union official with the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO, prior to being elected to the State Assembly, resigned in January from the Assembly to take a leadership position in the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, after delivering millions of reclassified gig workers as potential union members.
As the Globe recently reported, “The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the California Trucking Association’s petition in the case regarding California’s Assembly Bill 5 independent contractor law. The decision could force California’s 70,000 independent truck owner-operators to stop driving in the state, which is already suffering from supply-chain backlogs.”
And who can forget the Daily Mail article from 2021? “California ports that move 40% of cargo coming into US are rated among the WORST behind third-world countries like Kenya and Ghana.”
“Gasoline has been poured on the fire that is our ongoing supply-chain crisis,” the California Trucking Association said in a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision to deny a judicial review of a decision of a lower court, a process known as certiorari, Bloomberg reported.
“In addition to the direct impact on California’s 70,000 owner-operators who have seven days to cease long-standing independent businesses, the impact of taking tens of thousands of truck drivers off the road will have devastating repercussions on an already fragile supply chain, increasing costs and worsening runaway inflation,” the California Trucking Association said.
The CTA is right, and they have been all along. However, this is a crisis created by the California Legislature and Governor, and can and should be reversed by the Legislature and Governor …unless this is the desired outcome.
During an interview Wednesday with KABC radio host John Phillips, we discussed what the loss of 70,000 independent truckers could do to the already backlogged supply chain, and how it could become an interstate commerce issue very quickly.
This is a legal mess made by the State of California, its lawmakers, and State Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court is right by bouncing the case right back to the state to live with or solve, as it has done recently with Roe v. Wade, and even with Biden v. Texas.
And with the Supreme Court denying the case, it may be up to impacted states to take legal action against California when the delivery of goods grinds to a halt because of the loss of California’s 70,000 independent truckers.
According to PortTechnology.org, as of 2021, the top five ports in the United States are:
1. The Port of Los Angeles
2. The Port of Long Beach
3. The Port of New York and New Jersey
4. The Port of Savannah
5. Northwest Seaport Alliance (Seattle/Tacoma)
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Excellent article on this completely avoidable MESS. One that can still be reversed in time if the Gov would stop rolling out the red carpet for himself and his megalomaniac Presidential ambitions in Washington DC, accepting bogus “education” awards.
Former union activist, then Assemblywoman, then union hack and fat cat Lorena Gonzalez and her union-fattening, job killing, devastating-to-Californians AB5 has been a DISASTER from the beginning. Our super-odious globe-trotting Gov Gav needs to sit down and sit still HERE in the former Golden State and take care of business with our “what-me-worry” legislature to address this emergency situation before the law suits from other states affected by AB5 and its resultant supply-chain issues come flying at him and at California like dodgeballs thrown by a group of super-aggressive middle-schoolers. Isn’t that what Gavin’s inexplicably still-present emergency powers are for? (NO)
It’s ENOUGH, already. Californians have had ENOUGH of YOU, Gov Newsom, and of YOU Dem legislators who are spoon-fed what all the special interests want instead of what everyday Californians want, and of YOU, the union hacks who have never given a rat’s rear end about workers’ welfare but only your own gluttonous, selfish interests for power and money. Talking to YOU, former Asm Lorena “AB5 The Job Killer” Gonzalez.
The truckers should hunt down Gonzalez and block her home and blow their horns all night and fight fire with fire….
She’s the reason for this s–t show…
Make the law and then skate to the union that will benefit from it??? Are you KIDDING???
This is banana republic governance….
Yes, CD9, Ms Job-Killer DID do that, didn’t she? And without a flicker of embarrassment. More like defiance and with her middle finger straight up in the air to all of us. Make that BOTH middle fingers.
I wouldn’t mind at all seeing the noisy convergence at Gonzalez’ house that you suggested.
Find it hard to believe the amount of misinformation on this.
The following is True/ read the law:
Truckers get to set the price for the rental of their truck.
Truckers can bid their own price to contractors or shippers, unless the contractor or shipper has their own truck(s).
Truckers would now get covered under workers Comp for on job injuries, rather than putting it on taxpayers.
Truckers would be able to get unemployment, per law.
Truckers can work for multiple different companies if they wish.
The people that are spreading false info on this are those who misclassified the drivers in the first place.
If all that is true then why would they be protesting AB 5.
Yes, but the trouble is that they are now forced to pay union dues to a useless greedy union they don’t like, which is why they are “independent” in the first place! Jesus, idiot!
The government should pass no law that picks winners and losers. This law needs to be repealed now. It gives the corporations unfair advantage and will ruin owner operator trucker livelihoods. If that was not the intended purpose then Lorena Gonzalez would have corrected the bill during the legislative process. Please remember these bills have to pass several committees before they are delivered for a full vote. We live in a state where the so called leaders do not care about you or how you will feed your family; if you are lucky enough to find groceries in the future. Less trucks mean less items on the shelves. This trickles down the chain.
This is unacceptable and shameful.
I hope the truckers shut this state down, and bring it to its knees. Enough is enough of these Commucrats ruining jobs. It’s time to put the Commucrats out of business, not the truckers.
I think I’ll stock up, and then can shut it down. Have some backbone people. Help the truckers by writing your Commucrate leaders.
High Diesel prices and AB 5 on course to destroy the little guy trying to feed his family. Former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez announces resignation (Jan 3,2021) after she has done untold damage. Husband and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairman Nathan Fletcher responded in a tweet, saying his “wife leaves a legacy of accomplishment as a legislator that will not be matched.” What a joke of a woman.
California …getting the government they voted for.
Not if we got Dominioned, which I’m pretty sure we have…
Read this…
Then read it AGAIN….
“AB 5 was authored by former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego). Gonzalez, a community organizer and activist, as well as a union official with the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO, prior to being elected to the State Assembly, resigned in January from the Assembly to take a leadership position in the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, after delivering millions of reclassified gig workers as potential union members.”
FLG!!!
Once again CA voters shoot themselves in the foot by voting for emotional retards who are hell bent on destroying the state. Do-gooders once again f3cking things up without an ounce of fore though. Did these idiots really think 70k independent trucks would suddenly chose to join a stupid union because some dipwad union activist creep convinced more dipwad idiots to pass her nonsense bill that no one bother to ask the truckers if they wanted in the first place! CA gets what it voted for! Forrest Gump: “Stupid is as stupid does”
I’m confused how does this hurt the workers? Seems like they’ll have better protections, and better pay. Seems less exploitative. Really. What am I missing? That they’ll have to pay taxes? Or small business won’t be able to keep up bc they’ll be required to pay minimum wage? I’m confused. What’s the problem?
Folks…..elections have consequences and people in this state overwhelmingly don’t do their homework and keep voting the same way. Pelosi, LG, Watters, our Governor and other woke progressives are great examples. (Look at big city Councils!). Who in their right mind keeps voting them in?!