Independent truckers aren’t happy with California labor law AB5, which passed in 2019, and challenges the classification of being an independent contractor. To make their objection to the law heard loud and clear, truckers took their protests to the ports and effectively shut down the Port of Oakland for a week. The California Trucking Association claims that the law that requires workers to pass an “ABC” test to remain independent, would take 70,000 truckers off the roads, thereby exacerbating the nation’s supply chain issues and backlog at the ports. The attention around AB5 intensified in late June when the U.S. Supreme Court denied review of an appeal, filed by the California Trucking Association, to keep the law away from its members. As for the State’s position, Governor Newsom has shown no sign of caving in to meet or discuss the issue. A spokesman from the Governor’s office told the Wall Street Journal that the law was enacted in 2019 so no one should be caught by surprise by the law’s requirements at this time. The Port of Oakland has reopened as of Monday when protesting truckers were moved to designated “Free Speech Zones”.
Truckers Express Disdain for AB5
