ILWU Backs Long Beach Clean Trucks Program

A Port of Long Beach advertisement promoting its clean-truck plan to neighboring communities attracted the support of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13. The ad is not popular with some environmental and labor interests that support a conflicting Port of Los Angeles clean-truck program.

While the ad makes no reference to the Los Angeles clean-truck plan that is supported by the Teamsters union, transportation interests detect a subtle message indicating that the ILWU fears a loss of longshore jobs because of cargo diversion from Southern California.

The Port of Long Beach advertisement features George Lujan, president of Local 13, the largest ILWU local on the West Coast, saying the port's plan is helping to clean the air ahead of schedule. "That's why our union supports the Port of Long Beach Clean Trucks Program," Lujan is quoted as saying.

Long Beach has gone public this past year emphasizing that its clean-truck program aims only at reducing harmful emissions. Long Beach does not support the efforts of neighboring Los Angeles to include a truck driver employee mandate in its clean-truck program.

An employee-driver requirement would make it easier for unions such as the Teamsters to organize harbor truck drivers. The American Trucking Associations sued the ports over their concession requirements, and has won a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the employee-driver mandate.

Long Beach recently settled the ATA suit out of court by replacing its concession program with a registration requirement that does not include an employee-driver mandate.

Lujan said he decided to participate in the Long Beach advertising campaign because ILWU Local 13 supports the port's efforts to clean up the air in the harbor. "That's all we're doing. We're not shooting darts at anyone," Lujan said.

A coalition of environmental, labor and community organizations called the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports has been critical of the Long Beach plan. The coalition, which includes the Teamsters union, openly supports the Los Angeles clean-truck program.

Coalition spokeswoman TJ Michels said the group supports the Los Angeles approach because it will ensure clean air in the harbor for the long term and is better for truck drivers. Most harbor truck drivers are independent contractors that, by law, can not be unionized.