LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/—A shocking new wage and hour report has brought to light a job misclassification problem that is affecting our nation’s port truckers who haul vital goods from U.S. seaports to our local stores. According to the study, the problem is so rampant that two-thirds of truckers are affected, reveals Bay Area wage and hour lawyer Eric Grover of Keller Grover LLP. According to the report, titled “The Big Rig Overhaul: Restoring Middle-Class Jobs at America’s Ports Though Labor Law Enforcement,” it was found that 49,000 of the nation’s estimated 75,000 port truck drivers are misclassified as independent contractors, instead of being classified as employees, which would provide them the opportunity to enjoy employment benefits, including workers’ compensation insurance, unemployment benefits, overtime pay and the ability to exercise their right to unionize. This is a growing California wage and hour issue. “Trucking used to be one of the backbones of America’s blue-collar middle class but deregulation and deunionization and misclassification has significantly reduced the quality of jobs in the sector,” Jared Bernstein, senior fellow for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and former chief economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, the Daily Breeze reported. Advocacy groups like the National Employment Law Project, The Change to Win Strategic Organizing Centerworks and The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy revealed in their own report that about 25,000 of our nation’s port truckers are located right here in California, attorney Grover explained. “The biggest problem with truckers being misclassified is they are tied into strict contracts that hold them responsible for purchasing their own truck, maintaining the truck, and providing the fuel needed to make each run,” explains Grover, a San Francisco employment attorney. “At the end of the day many independent contractors are left with little to no paycheck or even the ability to supply their own benefits, because of the immense costs associated with buying and maintaining their truck. It’s not a viable small business that many of these truckers can undertake or afford, which leaves operating as an independent contractor almost impossible for many people. The only ones who benefit are the employers that take advantage of the truckers, as they don’t have to bear the costs associated with the correct classification.” While some will continue to claim that port trucker job misclassification isn’t a problem, the California Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement has received 400 complaints filed by port drivers, which cite wage and hour violations involving misclassification. Of those 400 cases, 19 have since been resolved resulting in each driver receiving an average of $66,240. The San Francisco Law Firm of Keller Grover has been helping victims of job misclassification recover lost wages since 2005. To learn more about whether your job has been misclassified contact Keller Grover at 888.601.6939 and ask to speak with a California wage and hour lawyer. http://www.cawagehourlaw.com Media Contact: Lyn Giguere, Keller Grover, LLP, 972-437-8952, [email protected] News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com SOURCE Keller Grover, LLP
