Catherwood LibraryILR School

More than 100 drivers and trucking company operators swarmed Oakland, California's seaport on Monday, protesting a new "gig worker" law, the AB5, that is being proposed to set tougher standards for classifying workers as independent contractors. This followed a similar traffic snarl that occurred last week in Los Angeles when truckers picketed the nation's biggest seaport. Independent truckers who now operate under the authority and insurance of companies that hire them for jobs would be burdened with the costs and bureaucracy of ensuring those standards. Frustrated workers are concerned that the number of drivers will decrease, given that the drivers will be making less money due to the new requirements , and thus hampering further the supply chain delays that have plagued the country's ports since the pandemic. One concerned manager said he wouldn't be able to afford to be in business under the new law. The Teamsters union supports the new law, because it will force owners to employ drivers as employees, thus providing workers' compensation insurance and other benefits, while avoiding labor abuses. Besides the threat of trucking disruptions, West Coast port employers and labor unions are currently in the middle of negotiating a contentious labor contract. 40% of container goods that enter the country come through California ports.