Teamsters and others say 10,000 “misclassified” workers should be eligible for assistance.
Several groups will discuss efforts to secure unemployment benefits and other financial assistance for drayage drivers in the event of a shutdown of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach at a press conference Wednesday morning.
“If the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach shut down in the coming days because of stalled longshoremen contract negotiations, more than 10,000 port truck drivers misclassified as ‘independent contractors’ by their employers will be idled without pay or apparent access to unemployment benefits,” said a press release publicizing the event.
The organizers contend, “Since the California Employment Development Department (along with other state and federal agencies) have recently determined port drivers are being unlawfully misclassified and are in fact employees, if West Coast ports shut down drivers will qualify for employee benefits and assistance.”
The event is being sponsored by the Teamsters, California Employment Development Department (EDD)/Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network, Los Angeles Labor-Community Services AFL-CIO, and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice.
Effort to get unemployment benefits for drivers in the event ports close
