Long Beach Newspaper Blasts Politicians' Support for Teamsters

It is easy to tell that the Teamsters-endorsed Los Angeles clean trucks model has nothing to do with clean air because the theme of their argument has shifted away from the environment to caring for reportedly low-income drivers, writes the Long Beach Press Telegram in their March 16 editorial.

However, "The low-income driver argument never made sense. Anybody in the business can tell you that the hardest-working independent drivers who own or lease their trucks make $100,000 a year or better, and some can make a living by working only a few days a week," the Press Telegram said.

The 80 percent reduction in truck pollution that has occurred nearly two years ahead of schedule negates the claim from Teamsters and their supporters in local government that banning owner operators from the Port is necessary for success.

"The argument between the ports of Long Beach and L.A. isn't about clean air -- that issue has been settled by simply getting rid of dirty trucks. It's about labor and politics," said the Press-Telegram.

"Drivers at the ports who prefer to work as employees rather than independent operators are a small minority, but about 300 of them already are members of the Teamsters. They have that right. But independent drivers have rights as well. This does not include being shut out by political operatives," said the Press-Telegram.

The battle has now moved to the east coast. Despite the fact that the Port of New York and New Jersey last week adopted a clean truck program without the Teamsters supported ban on owner operators, a political port commission appointee nevertheless publically called for a change in federal transportation law that would allow the banning of independent small businesses from ports around the nation. "The argument is over whether to back the L.A. Clean Trucks plan, which outlaws independent drivers in favor of unionized employee drivers, or Long Beach's, which allows both," said the Press-Telegram.

"In other words it's all about politics and the connection between pols and the Teamsters Union," the editorial said.