Díaz, a driver for 16 years, was one of thousands of truckers who parked their rigs and refused to work that day. The protest reduced business by 85 percent at the port of Long Beach, one of the country’s busiest container ports, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Some truckers blocked traffic on major freeways leading to the ports with big rigs carrying signs protesting the spike in the price of diesel fuel which has jumped 36 cents in two past two weeks, to as high as $2.50 per gallon—56 cents a gallon higher than the national average. Over 500 rallied in Banning Park near the entrance to the Port of Los Angeles.

The 10,000 short-haul drivers who carry cargo between the ports and railroads and area warehouses are among the lowest paid truck drivers in the country. With the rise in gas prices they are being squeezed as never before.

Díaz, like other truckers who participated, said the protests will continue.

Record-high diesel costs have spurred trucker demonstrations in Northern and Central California as well. The protests began at two rail yards near Stockton on April 26, which reduced intermodal truck rail traffic by 95 percent, then spread to Oakland and Southern California.

An attempt by Jerry Bridges, the Oakland Port director, to end a walkout by port drivers there fell apart May 6 when the port agency’s offer fell short of trucker demands. “They thought they would give us a little candy but we will not leave until we get what we want,” said Ruben López, one of three drivers who negotiated with the port bosses.

Oakland truckers are demanding a 30 percent increase in fees for hauling containers.

Most of the drivers are described in the big-business press as “independent truckers” or “independent contractors.” In reality they are owner-operators who face similar conditions of exploitation as wage workers. They own their trucks and pay the costs of fuel, upkeep of equipment, insurance, road taxes and other fees, and expenses of the job. They work at set rates per trip, which haven’t gone up in more than a decade, and receive no pension or medical benefits.

Drivers talked with Militant reporters at a lunch truck near the berths and giant cranes that spread out for miles at the Los Angeles port. Raul Agamenon went to his truck and brought back bills and receipts showing pay of approximately $780 per week, with diesel fuel costing $400, insurance $150, plus costs of truck maintenance, tires, road fees, and other expenses.

Agamenon said that drivers are often forced to use unsafe chassis. The cost of any damage to goods is borne by the driver. The truckers are sometimes asked to clean toxic substances and other hazardous materials from their trucks without training or proper safety equipment.

Juan José García, another trucker, pointed out that the rates paid by the companies have not gone up in the four years he has worked as a driver, while costs continue to climb. He said those who still have to make payments on their trucks are particularly hard hit.

Truckers usually work a 60-hour week, with long hours of unpaid labor spent waiting in lines to complete paper work and to pick up cargo. This often cuts the number of runs truckers can make by half.

Rosa Sánchez, who operates the lunch truck, closed down on April 30 and attended the truckers’ rally. “I support them 100 percent,” she said. She pointed out that police harassment of truckers is constant in the harbor area and has intensified since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Police have said they will impound trucks and arrest any trucker disrupting the movement of freight. Three drivers were arrested after parking their big rigs April 30 on the I-5 freeway.

Representatives of the Teamsters Port District are passing out flyers with the headline “Owner Operators Get the Shaft, Enough is Enough, Join Us, Fight for Justice,” calling for the companies to pay a fuel surcharge on each container that passes through the port, with the money passed on to the drivers.

The shipping companies say that the truckers do not have a right to organize into a union because as “independent contractors,” they are prohibited from doing so by anti-trust laws.

“This is nothing but a trick,” says driver Noél Díaz. “They give us this title of ‘independents,’ but we work for the shipping and truck companies—they dictate the rates, they cancel our jobs if we are not there when they want—is this being independent?”

Like many truckers, Díaz hopes the current protests will help pave the way for a fight to unionize the drivers, with higher pay, benefits, and better working conditions. (See article in this issue on how the Teamsters organized independent truckers in the 1930s.)

Some of the truckers who spearheaded the April 30 action have been part of earlier protests and attempts to unionize port drivers.

In response to the rise in diesel prices, truckers began a two-day boycott at cargo ports in Norfolk, Virginia, May 6. These drivers are demanding a fuel surcharge to compensate for the rise in prices.

At the same time, U.S. refineries are reporting record profits as they cash in on the sky-high pump prices. ChevronTexaco, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Tesoro, and Exxon Mobil—California’s largest refiners—have all reported big profits the first quarter of this year. ChevronTexaco, the second largest U.S. oil company, said its quarterly profit rose 33 percent to $2.56 billion.
 
 
Related articles:
Organizing independent truckers in 1930s  
 
 
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