Vol. 76/No. 8      February 27, 2012

Puget Sound Sage, a coalition of labor, religious and community organizations sponsored the rally.

Hundreds of drivers who haul containers off the docks in Seattle walked off the job the first week of February over unsafe working conditions and fines.

Drivers are responsible for paying fines for overweight loads, unsafe equipment, taxes, insurance and everything it takes to keep a truck running. Classified as so-called independent contractors, the truckers face legal obstacles to joining trade unions.

“I’ve been suspended four times for refusing to take an overweight container,” Sharif Muhammad told the Militant. “And if I take an overweight container then I am fined by the cops who are always stopping us.”

Two drivers came to the rally from the Los Angeles area. One of them, José Rodríguez, is an owner operator like those in Seattle. “We face the same kind of abuse and unfairness as truckers up here,” he told the Militant. “The employers always hold immigration over our heads.” He explained that while the majority of drivers in Seattle are from East Africa or South Asia, in Los Angeles they are mostly Mexican.

After the rally participants marched to one of the major shipping companies to present a list of demands.

Two days earlier 300 port truck drivers and their supporters participated in a town hall meeting in the area headquarters of the Teamsters union here.

“Two weeks ago nobody knew us. Today, because we raised our voices everybody knows us,” Aynalem Moba, a leader of the newly formed Seattle Port Truckers Association, told the meeting. “The fight just started. We are going for a knockout.”

“Safety issues affect all truck drivers,” said Calvin Borders, another leader of the truckers. “Containers and chassis are unsafe and drivers are responsible for maintaining them safely, but we do not own the container or the chassis.”

The event was hosted by Joe McDermott, a King County Council member, and Port of Seattle Commissioner Rob Holland. It opened with comments by them and three other local elected officials. Moba, Borders and three other leaders of the port drivers organization discussed safety, harassment from the cops, and retaliation by the bosses against strike organizers.

Speaker after speaker took the microphone during the discussion period that followed.

Michael, a trucker, talked about a ticket for an overweight load a driver had brought to the meeting. “A driver is paid $40 for a container. He has to pay a $700 fine. The company says, ‘That is your responsibility.’ The State Patrol is out there every day hunting us like we are criminals. If it is a crime they should go to the person who is giving the loads out.”

“The struggle will continue,” said a driver named Ben. We will make it better for other truckers. It is not just for American truckers. There are Mexican truckers here. The struggle is global.”
 
 
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