California Truckers Block Oakland Port to Protest Labor Law
Summary from the AllSides News Team
California truckers have been blocking access to the Port of Oakland since Monday to protest a new state labor law.
The legislation, Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), was passed in 2019 and requires companies to classify more workers as employees instead of independent contractors. While part-and full-time employees have access to a wide range of benefits from minimum wage to health insurance, over half of California’s truckers are contractors that work with shipping companies as independent contractors. Many truckers believe that the law will diminish their flexibility to act independently. If the law is enforced, truckers would be required to pay up to $20,000 out-of-pocket for permits and insurance to handle their own logistics and remain independent. The protests have caused containers to back up at the Port of Oakland, a majort export of agricultural exports that is known as one of the 10 busiest container ports in the U.S. These disruptions have exacerbated the ongoing container congestion that has occured at various California ports for months. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has dismissed truckers' concerns and said that they "should focus on supporting this transition" to the new employment law.
Most reports highlighting the Oakland trucker protest were published by center-and right-rated sources. Left-rated outlets were more likely to highlight how the law allows companies the option to "simply take the drivers on" as employees and continue to offer them flexible schedules. Right-rated coverage emphasized how Newsom's bill forces independent owner-operators to make an "impossible choice" — be "beholden to company regulations" or "quit being a truck driver."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Truckers’ protests over a labor law block access to Oakland’s port.For days, a convoy of truckers has blocked the roads that serve the Port of Oakland, crippling a major West Coast cargo hub already hampered by global supply chain disruptions.
The protest is meant to send a message to Gov. Gavin Newsom: Keep the drivers clear of a California labor law that they say threatens their livelihood.
The truckers, primarily independent owners and operators, are demonstrating in opposition to Assembly Bill 5, a law passed in 2019 that requires gig workers in several industries to be classified as employees with benefits,...
From the Center
Shippers are avoiding the Port of Oakland as trucker protests over gig worker law stop flow of tradeThe trucker protests at the Port of Oakland have stopped the flow of trade for at least two days and some vessels are now either pulling up anchor to go to another port or skipping the port. In an effort to restore production, the port has established “Free Speech Zones” which were described in an open letter to the trucking community last night.
Truckers have been protesting since Monday against the California gig labor law. That law classifies workers as employees rather than independent contractors. Truckers who are classified as independent owner and...
From the Right
Truckers shut down Port of Oakland in protest of Gavin Newsom's labor law as California's supply chain goes from bad to worseIndependent truckers shut down the Port of Oakland as a protest against a labor law signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Since Monday, California truckers have been blocking access to the Port of Oakland with a protest against Assembly Bill 5 (AB5). The truck drivers successfully stopped operations at the Oakland port from Wednesday through Friday.
The Port of Oakland said in a Wednesday statement, "Trucker protests that started Monday over the implementation of AB5 have effectively shut down operations at shipping terminals at the Port of Oakland. The shutdown will further exacerbate the...
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