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Recommendation to 1) add language to our State and Federal Legislative Agendas to support legislation that improves working conditions for port truck drivers and addresses related issues; 2) request City Attorney to work with the California Labor Commissioner's and Attorney General's Offices to explore options to support regulatory enforcement efforts; and 3) request the Harbor and Tidelands Committee and the Long Beach Harbor Commission to hold hearings on the trucking crisis and misclassification of employees at the ports with the goal of finding solutions that protect the Port of Long Beach's proprietary interests.
DISCUSSION
Port leadership and industry experts agree that the current trucking system in the port complex is unsustainable. Long lines and wait times force truckers to spend hours waiting and limits their ability to make an adequate number of trips per day. In addition to this inefficient system, there are also clear issues concerning working conditions.
Truck drivers at the Port of Long Beach are often misclassified as independent contractors which results in them working for poverty level wages and doesn't provide them the necessary protections guaranteed by state and federal laws.
The California Labor Commissioner has received more than 900 complaints regarding misclassification of truckers at the ports and upheld more than 500 claims and awarded millions in fines and restitution. USA Today has published several stories in recent months which detail abuses in the trucking industry and describe the working conditions for truck drivers as indentured servitude. These reports detail drivers who work 20-hour shifts, earn little in weekly wages, and
are cut off from being given future hauling trips without cause. These conditions cause hardships to the truckers ' families and put the public at risk. The State Labor Commission has fined dozens of companies millions of dollars for misclassifying and underpaying truckers working at the Ports.
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