—ON THE PICKET LINE—

New Jersey AT&T workers rally for a contract

PARAMUS, N.J. — “Every job a union job! What do we want? A contract!” chanted Communications Workers of America Local 1101 members and supporters outside the AT&T store here June 24. Car and truck drivers passing by honked in support.

The union organized the protest to press for a new contract for CWA union members who work in the AT&T wireless sector. In May, 37,000 CWA members held a three-day strike across the country demanding higher wages, against company demands to increase workers’ health insurance payments and for protection against the bosses outsourcing work to nonunion contractors. AT&T also has set up call centers in other countries where it pays workers substantially less.

Nikki Watson told the Militant that five years ago there were 1,400 union workers in the call center where she works. Now there are only 400. “The days we went on strike felt good,” she said. “We felt like we were being heard.”

— Candace Wagner

L.A. port drivers strike for Teamster representation

LOS ANGELES — Port truck drivers and warehouse workers carried out their 15th strike in the last four years June 19-23. The walkout began at XPO Logistics and quickly spread to California Cartage, Intermodal Bridge Transport and their subsidiaries. The drivers are demanding they be classified as employees — not “independent contractors” — so they can join the Teamsters union. About 100 workers participated in the strikes.

The bosses classify the workers as independent contractors so they can pay them by the load, rather than the hour, and to exempt the companies from labor regulations governing minimum wage, meal breaks and other protections workers have won over years.

The strike included protests at City Hall in both Long Beach and Los Angeles. Recently, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia announced that zero emission trucks will be required at the ports by 2035. “We want clean air too, but they need to raise the wages,” port driver Domingo Avalos told the Militant. “These companies are abusing us. They act like we aren’t employees and we are.”

Prior to 2008, many of the 16,000 trucks used by 800 companies that do short hauls from the ports were older trucks nearing the end of their service. When these trucks were banned from the ports, companies forced drivers who could no longer afford their own truck into leasing agreements. Drivers turned in their old trucks as a down payment for a new one, and suddenly found themselves deeply in debt.

In the last six years, port truck drivers have filed 875 claims with the state Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, according to the Teamsters. In 376 cases, drivers were found to be employees and the bosses owed them some $40 million in stolen wages and penalties. More than 100 other cases are still pending.

Where the bosses can’t use the “independent contractor” con game, like for California Cartage warehouse workers, they try to find other ways to keep the union out. The Teamsters were defeated in a union election last December. “When we had the vote, the owner said that if we voted in the union, he was going to file for bankruptcy and shut down the warehouse,” one worker who requested anonymity told the Militant. The Teamsters have challenged the results of the vote.

— Bill Arth