Owner-Operators Return To Work at Port of Seattle

Striking owner-operators at the Port of Seattle agreed to suspend their walkout Aug. 31 “to let the wheels of bureaucracy get caught up with our demands,” said Bob Hasegawa of Teamsters Local 174. But the truckers reserved the right to stop work again after 30 days if no progress is made, or earlier if companies retaliate against workers who participated in the strike.

Meanwhile, 3,000 miles away, owner-operators boycotted two of Baltimore’s marine terminals Sept. 1 to protest the same thing their Seattle counterparts have been fighting to change: delays at the terminals that truckers say make it impossible for them to earn a decent wage.

The Seattle port drivers, who walked off the job two weeks ago in support of container haulers in Vancouver, British Columbia, stayed away from work even after their Canadian counterparts won their fight for hourly wages and a licensing system at the Port of Vancouver.

Owner-operators in this country, because they are generally classified as independent contractors and do not technically have an “employer,” are prohibited from being unionized unless they get specific approval from the companies they run for.

Seattle drivers are demanding that trucking company owners let them vote on Teamsters representation for collective bargaining at companies where a majority of drivers have signed authorization cards. They are also seeking a company licensing system similar to the one being devised in Vancouver.

Union officials said drivers for some companies will return to higher container rates, in some cases as much as 20% higher.

“The owner-operators and Teamsters Local 174 have articulated some very important issues that require long-term solutions,” said Tom Tierney, the port’s chief administrative officer. “Their announcement today to step back at least temporarily gives the port and other players in the shipping industry the opportunity to try to address their concerns and seek lasting solutions.”

For the full story, see the Sept. 6 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.