Calif. Court Finalizes Port of L.A. Ruling
A California court issued a permanent injunction against several provisions at the Port of Los Angeles that had been opposed by the trucking industry as part of the port’s clean trucks plan.
U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder finalized the provisions, including banning off-street parking and placarding requirements.
The move follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in June that portions of the port’s clean trucks plan violate federal preemption law and cannot be enforced.
The high court ruled that the port cannot force fleets to submit parking plans or display placards before being allowed to operate.
American Trucking Associations filed a lawsuit in 2008, alleging that provisions of the program violated the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act, which prohibits regulation of a “price, route or service of any motor carrier.”
Separately, about 15 port truck drivers began a 24-hour strike at the port Monday, alleging their employer was trying to thwart their efforts to unionize, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The action against the company, Carson-Calif.-based Green Fleet Systems, began late Monday when drivers and their supporters picketed the company’s headquarters, the Times reported.
Truckers contend that company supervisors have been illegally dissuading them from joining a union — an allegation the company has denied, the newspaper said.
The demonstration kicked off a week of planned actions by labor groups representing workers in several related industries, including logistics, the Times reported.
The move is the latest effort seeking to unionize drivers who move goods in and out of the sister ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which make up the largest U.S. port complex and handle more than 40% of Asian imports, the Times said.
