Independent truckers protesting California's gig law, AB5, shut down cargo operations at ports in Long Beach and Oakland last week.
The reason is that AB5 will force most of California's 70,000 independent truckers to become employees of trucking companies. The vast majority of independent truckers want to stay independent. So they're protesting.
Although AB5 was passed several years ago, the law's impact on truckers was delayed by a series of legal actions by the California Truckers Association (CTA).
A few weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme court refused to hear CTA's appeal, which resulted in AB5 becoming effective for the trucking industry in California.
Key quote from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) on this decision:
"For truckers that have invested their blood, sweat, and treasure in creating their own businesses, it is dismaying that lawmakers and the courts are forging ahead with this radical policy that dismisses a beneficial business model that has been in place for decades."
The independent truckers are demanding an exemption to AB5, which has been granted to over 30 professions. Key quote from Transport Dive's article on the protests:
"Our goal is to get exempted from [AB5], to get carved out from it, just like other industries," Cindy Perez, a Long Beach owner-operator, said on July 14. "And if we're not, we at least want to know why."
The logical response for many California independent truckers, if they don't get an AB5 exception, will be to take their trucks and move to another state. Truckers are in demand across the country.
Losing these truckers will hurt more than just California.
It will also disrupt operations at two of our country's largest ports for an extended period, impacting supply chains across the U.S.
This is yet another example of the backlash against AB5 by workers the law was supposed to help.
