Last week, Right to Work attorneys filed an amicus curiae brief in American Trucking Associations v. Port of Los Angeles on behalf of two truckers who don't want to be forced to give up their independent status and join a licensed trucking service to do business in LA. The Foundation's brief challenges a new "concession agreement" entered into by the city that would only allow large trucking services to work out of the Port of Los Angeles, freezing out independent owner-operators. You can read the whole thing online, but here's an excerpt from the Foundation's brief:
If the Port’ s scheme is upheld, the victims will be individuals like amici Raymond Porras and Pilar Orellana. They are owner -operators, meaning that they own their trucks and work for themselves. As their own bosses, they enjoy the independence of setting their own schedules and operating their trucking businesses as they see fit. The Concession Agreement will force them to forfeit this independence, sell their trucks, and become employees of larger companies to continue operating at the Port.
The Port's scheme is also widely viewed as underhanded way to force truckers into union ranks: If independent contractors are forced to seek employment at a licensed trucking service, they can also be forced to join a union and pay dues if the company they're joining is already unionized.
As always, Foundation attorneys stand ready to help employees across the country protect their Right to Work. For more information on the Foundation's legal aid program, click here.
