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.
Submitted on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 1:15pm
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.
By Barbara Ehrenreich - The Nation, April 7, 2008
Until the beginning of this month, Americans seemed to have nothing to
say about their ongoing economic ruin except, "Hit me! Please, hit me
again!" You can take my house, but let me mow the lawn for you one more
time before you repossess. Take my job and I'll just slink off somewhere
out of sight. Oh, and take my health insurance too; I can always fall
back on Advil.
Submitted on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 4:16pm
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.
Filed by Oren Liebermann - Wavy.com, April 3, 2008
NEWPORT
NEWS, Va. (WAVY.com) -- Chris Evans remembers the good ole' days of
truck driving, not too long ago, when diesel prices were about two
dollars a gallon.
"It was awesome. It was great to be a trucker then," remembers Evans.
But
now, he says those days are gone, replaced by soaring gas prices and
shrinking profits for independent truckers, who rely on driving more
miles to make more money.
"I hold about 240 gallons, but I haven't filled up," Evans says. "I haven't topped off these tanks in three to four weeks now."
The
U.S. Department of Energy says high worldwide demand for diesel has
forced prices near the $4 per/gallon mark. Adding to the problem, a
switch to low-sulfur diesel has slowed production for American
refineries.
Submitted on Thu, 04/03/2008 - 3:21pm
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. The image pictured to the right did not appear in the original article, we have added it here to provide a visual perspective. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.
RIDGEFIELD, N.J. (AP) -- Tons of freight idled across the country Tuesday
as independent truckers pulled their rigs off the road while others slowed to a
crawl on major highways in a loosely organized protest of high fuel
prices.
Using CB radios and trucking Web sites, some truckers called for a strike
Tuesday to protest the high cost of diesel fuel, hoping the action might
pressure President Bush to stabilize prices by using the nation's oil
reserves.
"The gas prices are too high," said Lamont Newberne, a trucker from
Wilmington, N.C., who along with 200 drivers protested at a New Jersey Turnpike
service area. "We don't make enough money to pay our bills and take care of our
family."
