Truck Drivers, Environmentalists Stand Strong
as Long Beach Officials Bow to Corporate Pressure

Port truck drivers, community members and environmentalists are fighting back in the aftermath of the Long Beach Port Commissioners’ February 19th approval of a staff-devised scheme that satisfied the major shipping interests but will fail to permanently reduce severe port truck pollution.

The Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports took out five full page ads in the Long Beach Press Telegram calling on city residents to contact Mayor Robert Foster, who opposed the plan after initially indicating he would support it.

“We are deeply disturbed that the Long Beach Port has rejected a sustainable solution supported by environmentalists, public health advocates, and community members across Los Angeles and Long Beach,” said LAANE’s Patricia Castellanos, Chair of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports. More than 300 drivers, community members, and environmentalists turned out to the February 19th Port Commission vote and drivers gave moving testimony about the dangers of the current system and the need for comprehensive reform.

The 16,000 short-haul truck drivers who service the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are misclassified as “independent contractors” and lack the means to properly maintain their rigs or support their families. Trucks account for 30 to 40 percent of port-related pollution, and port trucks tend to be the oldest and most polluting trucks on the road.

The Long Beach Ports Commission’s piecemeal approach contains no enforcement mechanism to guarantee impoverished drivers can keep a new fleet of clean trucks on the road. In contrast, the Los Angeles Ports Commission is moving to adopt a comprehensive solution that give drivers employee status and shift the responsibility for truck maintenance and repair to well-capitalized trucking firms. That vote is expected on March 20th.

Click here to view the video on youtube..