Port Trucking Firms File Labor Complaint

Trucking companies operating at the Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors have filed a complaint of unfair labor practices against the Communications Workers of America and a start-up transit company offering to employ the thousands of independent truckers who snarled the flow of freight recently at the twin ports.

Appealing to the local National Labor Relations Board, the Port Intermodal Operators Assn. charges that the Transport Maritime Assn. and Local 9400 of the Communications Workers of America conspired to force self-employed truckers to relinquish their rigs, become maritime association employees and then join the union.

Greg Stefflre, attorney for the Port Intermodal Operators Assn., said the union circumvented laws against organizing independent contractors by first working with the maritime association to compel the drivers to change their status from “owner-operator” to “employee” and then becoming their bargaining representative.

Maritime association attorney Robert Wrede said it is “absolutely true” that the firm wanted to contact independent drivers to gauge their interest in becoming employees.

An agreement provided that if an independent agent determined that the union represented the majority of the employees, then the maritime association would recognize its legal obligation to bargain with that union.