A roundtable discussion held at the Port of Los Angeles revolved around the benefits of a collective bargaining agreement between truck drivers and port employers.
The roundtable was led by Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su, according to a Jan. 3 news release. The discussion included truck drivers Jorge Mayorga and Todd Ellis; representatives of Universal Trucking, Sea-Logix, TTSI/Heavy Load Transfer and Pacific 9 Trucking; members and officers of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Local 848; and port officials.
"The Labor Department appreciates the efforts these companies, workers and union have made to improve job quality and security for Port of Los Angeles truck drivers," Walsh said in the news release. "Through partnership and shared values, we can create better jobs and more stability in our supply chain."
The discussion "highlighted the importance of improved pay, benefits, training and job stability that come with employee status and a collective bargaining relationship," the news release said. Some drivers are owner-operators covered by the collective bargaining agreement.
The companies noted the challenges of following an employee model in an industry with widespread misclassification of drivers as independent contractors, and the need for "strong enforcement to ensure a level playing field," according to the release.
