U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders to Lead “Stop Wage Theft on Wheels” Town Hall in Los Angeles with Low-Wage Workers at America’s Largest Port Complex
Port Drivers and Warehouse Workers to Speak-Out About How America’s Economy is “Rigged” Against the Working Class
(Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach) – On Saturday, June 2, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders will hold a Town Hall with port truck drivers and warehouse workers who serve the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The event will feature low-wage workers who are calling on elected officials to stop the shameful – and illegal – labor practices pervasive throughout the port trucking and warehouse industries.
WHO:
- U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
- Low-wage port drivers and warehouse workers
- Fred Potter, International Vice President, Teamsters
- Eric Tate, Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters Local 848
WHAT: Town Hall: “Stop Wage Theft on Wheels,” with low-wage port drivers and warehouse workers
WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 2018; Event starts at 1:00 PM PST
WHERE: Shippers Transport Express, 1150 E. Sepulveda Boulevard Carson, CA 90745,
the busiest off-dock truck yard serving the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach
The Town Hall comes after the USA Today Network published an award-winning investigative series “Rigged,” which exposed a system of “modern-day indentured servitude” that keeps thousands of workers trapped in poverty and debt.
Despite multiple investigations and lawsuits that found firms guilty of committing widespread wage theft and labor law violations, the series revealed that corporate retail giants and federal agencies continue to turn a blind eye to the persistent lawbreaking by their contractors and subcontractors. These firms illegally misclassify workers as “independent contractors” to evade federal labor and tax laws to boost their profits. As a result, workers are denied their basic rights to minimum wages, overtime pay, and collective bargaining.
To date, the drivers at the port – who handle 40 percent of consumer goods and merchandise imported into the U.S. – have gone on strike 15 times to protest this fraudulent employment scheme. However, government officials have failed to remedy the problem.
At the Town Hall, low wage port drivers and warehouse workers will demand that elected officials at all levels of government – including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti – take immediate action to end exploitation in the port trucking and warehouse industries.
The Town Hall – which will be livestreamed nationally – will be held at the busiest off-dock truck yard serving the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
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Justice for Port Drivers: With the dedicated support from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, plus many other labor, community, and faith allies, we are fighting to change the port trucking industry so we can win justice for ourselves and our families. More than 75,000 strong, we haul our country’s imports and exports for retail companies, for manufacturers, and for the U.S. Military. We are proud to be professional truck drivers and proud of the service we provide. Without us, America would stop.
Good Jobs Nation: Our mission is to hold America’s politicians accountable to workers by making sure our tax-dollars are invested in corporations that create good jobs – not firms that keep workers in poverty.