Strikes at Port of LA Expand Today

Truck drivers and warehouse workers from companies serving the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports expanded their strike today to protest being classified as independent contractors, which they say is a scheme to deny them just compensation. Barb Maynard, a representative for truckers and workers, told City news Service the strike involves several of the large companies that do transport business at the ports. Yesterday, morning workers picketed at the XPO Logistics facility in Commerce, and later picketed at “all marine terminals on both the L.A. and Long Beach side, as well as at Intermodal Container Transfer Facility-Port of Los Angeles,” Maynard said. Today, the strike expanded to four subsidiaries of market leader California Cartage and Chinese-government owned Intermodal Bridge Transport, and the the strike continued at XPO Logistics Picketing starting at 6:30 a.m. today at Intermodal Bridge Transportation in Long Beach, California Cartage Warehouse, K&R Transportation, Cal Cartage Express in Wilmington, CMI in Wilmington, XPO Cartage in Commerce, and XPO Service in Rancho Dominguez. Picketing also started at 6:30 a.m. at XPO San Diego. (CNS)