Truckers and workers staged protests and work stoppages on July 11 in three major California ports as commercial drivers took to highways in their rigs, intentionally slowing traffic in a symbolic act of defiance against a state law that restricts the use of owner-operators in carrier operations.
Opponents of the law, Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), filled the ports and highways of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland to raise awareness of and denounce the law, according to a statement from the Harbor Trucking Association. Protests did not impede operations at the L.A.-area ports, Eugene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said during a press conference. The L.A. ports handle 40% of all U.S. import/export port freight movement.
"We planned for this days ahead to make sure that these protests were peaceful, organized,” Seroka said. “We gave them the depth, the breadth, the space they needed to voice their opinion, but kept this cargo moving through the port complex. And these drivers are very respectful to just that. I applaud them for coming out here today."
See also: With California law, trucking operations face uncertainty
