Containers started moving again early last week through the
Northern California Port of Oakland after independent truck drivers ended the
protests that had virtually shut down the port for almost a week
Officials at the private operators of Oakland’s shipping
terminals said they were clearing backlogs of ships and containers.
The owner-operators of trucks had been protesting against
the implementation of AB5, a gig economy law originally proposed four years
ago, mainly to protect the rights of Uber drivers. However, its impact would
have spread to owner-operators, who said that they were being forced against
their will to take on employee status.
Although the law went into effect for a range of
professions in 2020, a legal challenge by the trucking sector held up
enforcement in the trucking industry. The US Supreme Court has just refused to review
the case, sending it back to a state court and potentially allowing California
to begin enforcing the law, should it get approval from the lower court.
Activity first resumed slowly on Saturday July 30th and
by last Monday August 1st the gates were clear and trucks were moving.
A spokesman for California’s Democratic Party Governor
Gavin Newsom said that the owner-operators should “focus on supporting
this transition” to the new law.
