California Truck owner-operators planned protests for this week, November 4-6, 2019 over Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5).
AB 5, limits California-based companies in the number of workers they can classify as independent contractors versus employees. The bill was approved by the California State Senate 29-11 and by the State Assembly 56-15. It was signed into law in September 2019 by Governor Newsom.
AB 5 passed as a way to try and provide workers with more protections, including laws surrounding:
- Minimum wage
- Sick leave
- Unemployment
- Workers’ compensation
As independent contractors, owner-operators do not receive these protections. In today’s modern gig economy and many workers are being misclassified as a form of cost-avoidance or legal indemnification purposes.
Posted in and around the Oakland, Los Angeles and Long Beach ports were flyers declaring the protest:
WARNING!!! STATE OF CALIFORNIA NEW LAW
AB-5 (Steals your freedom of choice)
WILL DESTROY THE INDEPENDENT
OWNER OPERATOR/CONTRACTOR
January 01, 2020 you will be out of business!
You will no longer be allowed to work for any broker.
STATEWIDE SHUTDOWN
Please shut down November 4th, 5th and 6th, 2019.
It’s important to picket at key locations when you shut down, other it wont’ be noticed. You need to picket outside of the offices of State Assembly Members and State Senators. They are the ones who decide. Make signs.
The truck owner-operators mainly affected by AB 5 are those in the agriculture and construction businesses. Moving such goods as hot asphalt and soil, these truckers were upset that no exemption was made for them prior to the passage of the bill. Despite their upset over the new bill’s regulations, there was very little concern voiced by the truckers prior to the bill’s passage. Many, it seemed, didn’t think a bill like these would get passed.
Trucking companies who hire these owner-operators are opting for 1 of the 3 following choices to handle AB 5’s new regulations:
- The owner-operators will become employees;
- Owner-operators are being told to get their own operating authority; or
- Do nothing and hope that AB 5 gets fixed by “someone”.
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