Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 3:59am
Disclaimer: The action described here was not organized by the IWW.
By Francine Brevetti - staff writer, inside bayarea.com, May 6, 2008
OAKLAND — About 80 striking truckers from Middle Harbor Road at the Port of Oakland were ticketed and dispersed Tuesday after some of them committed vandalism, police said.
Some drivers had damaged a truck's window while the driver was operating the rig, Sgt. Peter Lau said.
Nevertheless, the protesting truck drivers who own and operate their own rigs vowed to continue demonstrating at the port for the rest of the week. They say motor carrier firms have been underpaying them for diesel fuel.
Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 3:35am
By Jim Crutchfield, IWW NYC GMB - Industrial Worker, May 2008
Members of the New York City IWW
branch attended a rally on April 1 at a
truck stop on the New Jersey Turnpike,
where an estimated 300 drivers, mostly
owner-operators, met to protest fuel
price gouging and address the media.
The rally was part of a nationwide
work stoppage by truckers that reportedly
shut down several major ports on
the East and West Coasts and turned
highways around Chicago into parking
lots.
Drivers from as far away as Florida
were present at the New Jersey gathering,
along with many drivers’ family
members and other supporters.
Two Wobblies addressed the crowd
and were warmly received. The union
collected contact information from
nearly 100 drivers, many of whom
expressed great enthusiasm for continuing
their agitation and solidifying their
organization.
Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 3:15am
Industrial Worker, May 2008.
On April 1, troqueros from New Jersey
rallied on the New Jersey turnpike.
On April 3, Houston followed. Truck
drivers across the country participated in
scattered actions to protest rising diesel
fuel prices.
The price of diesel across the United
States has risen by 21 per cent since the
end of December 2007, from $3.35 to
$4.05 per gallon, according to the US
Energy Information Administration. A
month before the March 2003 invasion
of Iraq, the price of diesel was $1.71 per
gallon.
Submitted on Thu, 05/01/2008 - 4:57am
iu530
Members of the IWW call on North American
truckers to unite together and shutdown on May 1, 2008.
Drivers in North America move the goods
that make the economy work. They are treated like nothing by those
who depend on them, the companies and the government. They have been
used and abused. They have sucked dry by the economic powers in order
to create profit that they never see. For many the rates have not
increased in years, except after the 2004 Intermodal strikes, and now
increasing fuel prices are taking money
North American OTR drivers are
exploited by the brokers. The brokers are clearly running a racket
that claims their drivers are independent businesses with their own
decision-making powers. But it is obvious that they are deferring the
risks of their own enterprise onto unsuspecting drivers, who cannot
pay the minimum of expenses to operate.
Submitted on Thu, 05/01/2008 - 3:38am
From: Teresa Gutierrez
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 9:37 AM
Subject: Truck Drivers & May Day
We are excited to report that a truck will be leading the May Day March from Union Square to Foley Square tomorrow.
This is great news to show our solidarity among all workers of all nationalities, documented, undocumented or born in the U.S.
For Immediate Release:
Transportation Workers Coalition for Change
Contact: Billy Randel, 646-645-6284
New Jersey Port Truckers to Strike Over Fuel and Energy Costs
Workers Will Rally Off the New Jersey Turnpike in Large Work Stoppage.
WHAT: Port truckers will stop work for two days to protest rising fuel and energy costs.