A Superior Court Judge has ruled (issued a decision) that port truck drivers are employees, not independent contractors, and are owed millions in stolen wages and penalties. WHO: Port truck drivers (some of who have been on strike five times in the last two years); Alvin M. Gomez, Gomez Law Group attorney representing the truck drivers who won the case, his legal team including Mike Aguirre & Maria Severson; and Teamster representatives WHAT: Attorney Alvin M. Gomez's court victory clears up questions regarding pervasive truck-leasing and wage theft scheme that has ruthlessly exploited Southern California workers WHERE: Wilmington Waterfront Park, 1206 W. C Street, Wilmington, CA 90744 (at Hawaiian Ave.)  Take the C Street exit off the 110 Freeway - MAP WHEN: Thursday, January 29, 2015; 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST WHY: Port truck drivers at the nation’s largest port complex are victims of an unlawful and horrific predatory leasing scheme and contract worker practices. The majority of port trucking companies, as part of a complicated wage swindle, are unlawfully forcing low-income, mostly immigrant, truck drivers to lease their vehicles from them at inflated rates with involuntary deductions from their paychecks. For many truckers, the cost of the forced lease is more than their paycheck. In this case, what the drivers did not know was that their employer, Pacer Cartage Inc., was also the owner of the leasing company that was charging the workers inflated prices. It appears that this type of Wage Theft scheme is pandemic across Southern California drayage companies. Perhaps the most pernicious aspect of the scheme is that it has allowed companies like the defendant, Pacer Cartage, to unlawfully classify their employees as contract laborers. Pacer Cartage is wholly owned by XPO Logistics Inc., which is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:XPO). Alvin M. Gomez, Gomez Law Group has joined forces with Aguirre & Severson to continue the fight for truckers. Mike Aguirre is former trial lawyer and counsel for the United States Farm Workers Union in the wake of Cesar Chavez’ death. F