Toll Group truck drivers in Los Angeles have cemented their place in history by ratifying the first union contract in the drayage industry in 30 years.
Port drivers are the most underpaid in the US trucking industry so this agreement with LA Ports is a landmark. Under the contract, drivers will receive an increase in hourly pay of more than $6 (around £3.70), along with paid overtime, sick leave and holidays. Other benefits include guaranteed shift hours and a pension plan.
The drivers made headlines in April 2012 when they voted overwhelmingly to join the Teamsters union. The union movement worldwide has provided solidarity for the drivers’ campaign, with particularly strong support coming from the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia (TWU). “Workers everywhere are standing up to say enough to poverty wages, and Toll drivers on both sides of the Pacific have demonstrated that working families will fight to the end for the middle-class paychecks, benefits, safety and workplace rights they deserve,” said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. “For too long, companies in the global supply chain have gamed the system by undercutting US businesses that actually create good jobs.
“Agreements like these prove that workers, with their unions and employers, can raise the bar across every continent they operate in. The Teamsters, in partnership with the TWU and our brothers and sisters in the ITF, will continue to press Toll and its competitors to lift standards in the transportation industry worldwide.”
Karael Vallecillo, one of the Toll Group drivers, said: “There’s no question that the time I spent in Australia, and the support our workmates there provided, made a huge difference and helped us achieve such a strong agreement with Toll. We are proud of the enormous help and solidarity provided by our brothers and sisters in the TWU to make our historic union contract a reality.”
Michael Kaine, Acting National Secretary of the TWU, commented: “We couldn’t be prouder of our mates in America. From the start we said ‘your fight is our fight’ and today we say your victory is our victory. The standards of fairness and respect for workers should be upheld by Toll no matter where they operate. The message to the industry is clear, in this global economy workers and unions across continents are already in alliance with each other and we will continue to support one another until we have a strong voice in our workplaces everywhere.”
Mac Urata, ITF Inland Transport secretary, added: “This agreement is the culmination of more than two years of hard-fought campaigning by the 65 Latino-American drivers and their communities. We have been proud to support them in their struggle and commend them on this victory.”
The recent ITF inland transport section conference in Toronto unanimously adopted a resolution in support of the Toll drivers’ campaign.
