July 14, 2016
In mid-July hundreds of Southern California truck drivers won a $5 million settlement against their former employer after a years-long battle. The drivers were represented by LAAC-members Wage Justice Center and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles.
The drivers were wrongly treated as contractors – a practice that many trucking companies continue to employ – which led to them being overcharged and underpaid. The case came after hundreds of drivers lost out on wages owed to them when their employer would deduct up to $1500 per paycheck for truck rental, fuel, parking, and more – resulting in the employees being paid less than minimum wage.
However, despite multiple successful suits against trucking companies across the nation, companies continue to treat drivers as freelancers and deduct large amounts of money from their paychecks. Some have little hope that anything will change. Barb Maynard, an advocate from Teamsters Union, says “It doesn’t change anything… The clock starts again the minute the settlement is over. The misclassification is continuing.”
Organizations mentioned/involved: Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA), Wage Justice Center