by Ernesto Nevarez
Tuesday, Aug. 02, 2005 at 10:36 AM
ejnevarez@earthlink.net
Port of Los Angeles troqueros on third day of strike against being obligated to work 2 shifts in violation of federal law.
Over 50 truck drivers have been on strike at:
St. George Warehouse see www.stgwarehouse.com
dba: St. George Trucking aka: Mardel Coast Trucking
1650 S. Central Ave.
Compton, CA
(310) 764-4395
Issue: Truck drivers are being obligated to work a second shift at night under the new Pierpass plan.
The company refuses to pay a surcharge for nightwork.
Working a nightshift by itself w/o a surcharge is not financially possible for truck drivers.
Truck drivers already work a full day shift and are being obligated to work at night.
The only way this can be done is if the night work is done in addition to the day shift.
Truck drivers refuse to break the law limiting the Hours of Service and have been locked out (fired) by their employer.
St. George Warehouse
is a bonded facility
that receives cargo for which duties have not been paid, and
cargo that is to be inspected by Customs due to Homeland Security.
St. George is utilizing trucking companies not licensed under Customs laws and/or companies using drivers not certified to moving bonded cargo in order to break the strike. This arrangement is against the Customs laws and posses a very real threat to homeland security. Using fly-by-night strike breaking drivers not authorized to moving these highly suspicious loads creates a security nightmare as the containers have been targeted for Customs inspection but run the risk of never making it to the facility over 10 miles from the harbor!!!
Again, St. George is putting our Homeland Security at risk in order to break a strike!!!!
The true effects of the Pierpass program are hitting home, finally.