LOS ANGELS (CNS) – More than 70 truck drivers who haul imported cargo from the Port of Los Angeles to warehouses in the Inland Empire are on strike Friday to protest harsh labor conditions imposed by their employers.
The truck drivers began their strike at 5 a.m. Thursday outside the Compton area truck depot and urged their employer, Southern Counties Express, to resume contract negotiations. The two parties last met in August but were unable to reach an agreement to renew their contract.
Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc., an asset-light provider of customized transportation and logistics solutions, acquired Southern Counties Express in 2018.
Drivers haul cargo from companies such as Toyota, Walmart and Ross to warehouses and distribution centers.
According to Teamsters Local 848, the labor union representing these drivers, Universal Logistics Holdings is a billion-dollar company led by Matthew Moroun. The company failed to reclassify independent contractors into employees as required by state law, AB 5.
The company changed how they paid their drivers from an hourly wage to a per-load model, reducing annual incomes by more than $35,000, according to the union.
Additionally, drivers saw their weekly costs for family health care coverage increase from $30 to $166, and deductibles rising from $600 to $4,400. Drivers also lost vacation and sick days, costing workers more than $4,000 in benefits.
Drivers, especially those who haul hazardous materials, have concerns about fines due to a lack of communication with dispatchers, which can create major safety concerns as well.
A representative for Universal Logistics Holdings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Southern Counties Express issued a statement in response to the strike Thursday morning.
“Southern Counties Express is disappointed in the union’s decision to strike,” the statement read. “The company has explained its financial hardships to the union and the union ignored our pleas for help. The company has enacted its best offer, which included several items requested from the union.”
“Under the company’s offer, many drivers are receiving higher pay. And those who do not like the offer have the option to take a voluntary buyout,” the statement continued.
The company said its doors remain open for further bargaining with the union.
Josselyn Bonilla, one of 70 drivers on strike, said their actions are a result of the employer’s unfair labor practices and their contract.
“We get paid per container rather than hourly for a day shift,” Bonilla told CNS. “Our day shift is about $30 to $31, but now that’s changed, meaning a trip from the port to Ontario, I will only be getting about $93. (Round trip) will be another $93.”
She said a typical day could be about five to six hours with a lot of waiting in between as the trucks get loaded and unloaded with goods or material.
“We live in L.A., so traffic is not the best,” Bonilla told CNS.
Bonilla, who lives with her husband, five-month old daughter and her parents, criticized Universal Logistics Holdings for increasing the cost of her health care plan.
“If my husband and I have a family plan with our company, that’s $180 a week which comes out to more than $700 a month,” Bonilla told CNS. “That’s basically one whole week of pay for us, and that’s not including rent.”
Bonilla, who is diabetic, has to see her doctor every three months for blood work, check ups and medication. She needs the health care, but she stressed about the cost at a time when rent is high and food prices as well.
She hoped they will be able to open talks with Universal Logistics Holdings, but emphasized that they will strike as “long as it takes.”
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