Trucker Protesters Halt Operations at Port of Oakland over California Labor Law

The Port of Oakland was shut down for the third day in a row on Thursday as truckers continued to protest a California gig worker labor law that could impact an estimated 70,000 truckers.

The protests, which started Monday, have shut down the third busiest port on the West Coast and the eighth largest port in the nation.

Cargo traffic coming in and out of the port has been stopped by a blockade of trucks, and it is unknown when the protests will end.

The truckers are protesting Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), which “requires companies that hire independent contractors to reclassify them as employees,” with some exceptions, CNBC reported. An estimated 70,000 are classified as independent contractors.

Truckers protesting are worried that if they do not seek out work that classifies them as employees, they will then have to “pay more for insurance and permits to remain independent under the law’s guidelines,” the Wall Street Journal reported. The law would also create a challenge for independent truckers to work their own hours and earn a living if they have to become an employee, the Associated Press noted.- READ MORE