LA Port Clean Trucks Plan Influenced by Teamsters

"Former Long Beach Harbor Commission President James Hankla told a luncheon crowd Thursday that the environmental community made a devil's bargain with the Teamster Union and 'come hell or high water, they are going to defend that position,'" reported the Cunningham Report.

Hankla's comments are in reference to the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) and the Teamsters front-group Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports' defense of an illegal concession within the Clean Trucks Program that makes it easier for the Teamsters to organize port truck drivers.

"[Hankla] said the Teamsters came and talked to port officials about a plan for cleaning up the trucking fleet before the port's Clean Truck Program was put together," said the Cunningham Report.

"Their plan was basically the same plan that is currently being advocated at the Port of Los Angeles - which includes a requirement that all drivers must be employees of the trucking companies that service the ports," said the Cunningham Report. "Hankla said he recognized that the union plan would drive thousands of owner-operators out of business and was never in favor of any employee-driver mandate."

The quicker-than-expected environmental progress from the Clean Trucks Program has come without the Teamster-endorsed employee mandate concession. The Port of Long Beach never adopted the concession and the U.S. District Court enjoined it from the Port of Los Angeles Clean Trucks Plan.