Waterfront Truckers Plan Protest Rally

Chafing under rising fuel prices and growing waits to pick up cargo at local port terminals, as many as 300 waterfront truckers are expected at a rally today in Long Beach, calling for higher wages and more coordination with terminal operators, among other demands. The demonstration is scheduled for 10 a.m. in front of Port of Long Beach headquarters, said Edmund Burke, West Coast coordinator for the ports division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Independent owner/operator truckers have become increasingly frustrated with long waits at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles as both facilities scramble to move out ever-growing volumes of imported cargo, Burke said. The truckers, who take the cargo to local distribution and logistics warehouses, are paid by the run. They complain that lengthy delays at the terminals are preventing them from hauling enough cargo to make ends meet at current wages.