Port Trucking as a Test Case of Precarious Work in the Grey Zone of Work and Employment

Bensman, David

doi:10.4000/interventionseconomiques.3537

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…In the years following the 1980 deregulation of US trucking, carriers increasingly turned to ‘low road’ strategies to cut labor costs and safety measures (Belzer, 2000; Bensman, 2009). As documented in Viscelli’s (2016) ethnographic study, modern trucking firms maximize profits by minimizing worker protections, shifting fuel and maintenance costs onto drivers, and wielding truck-leasing schemes to the firm’s advantage.…”

Section: Organizing Against Misclassification In the West Coast Port ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Job, Off the Books: Organizing Against Worker Misclassification in the Neoliberal Era

Slone¹,

Black

Smith-Tran

2021

Critical Sociology

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Worker misclassification is a form of precarious employment in which employers illegally designate their employees as ‘independent contractors’ to cut labor costs. Non-standard employment arrangements and the emergence of the misclassification problem are expressions of neoliberal economic reform and attendant shifts in managerial strategy. Although scholars and government statisticians have documented the prevalence of worker misclassification, extant research on labor-organizing campaigns in response to this practice is lacking. This paper presents case studies of two successful organizing campaigns against worker misclassification: (1) a United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBCJA) effort in the Northeastern construction industry and (2) a Teamsters campaign focused on the West Coast port trucking industry. Both campaigns employ similar frames highlighting competition, free markets, and the necessity of industrial change to achieve these ideals. We conclude with a discussion of the prospects and limitations of these organizing strategies given the countervailing political and economic headwinds posed by neoliberal restructuring.

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Section: Organizing Against Misclassification In the West Coast Port ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Job, Off the Books: Organizing Against Worker Misclassification in the Neoliberal Era

Slone¹,

Black

Smith-Tran

2021

Critical Sociology

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“…Port truckers represent a significant segment of the logistics labor force. The best study of the working conditions of truck drivers is Belzer's Sweatshop On Wheels , a story of the decline in labor market conditions as trucking changed from the a protected and regulated, to an unprotected and deregulated, industry with the passage of The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 (Belzer ; Belman and Monaco ; Bensman ; Peoples and Talley ). Prior to deregulation, licensing requirements enforced by the Interstate Commerce Commission restricted the number of firms and trucks, thereby stabilizing prices and, with Teamster representation of drivers, providing truckers with attractive compensation and benefits.…”

Section: Precarious Work In Drayage Trucking and Warehouse/distributimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The “independent contractor” arrangement represents the outsourcing model used in drayage trucking (Bensman ). Trucking firms—rather than owning trucks and hiring workers as employees—contract with drivers who own or lease their vehicles.…”

Section: Precarious Work In Drayage Trucking and Warehouse/distributimentioning

confidence: 99%

Draying and Picking: Precarious Work and Labor Action in the Logistics Sector

Jaffee¹,

Bensman²

2016

Journal of Labor and Society

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Recent research on labor market conditions in the United States points to a rise in “precarious work,” which is characterized by low wages, unstable and/or temporary work arrangements, underemployment, economic insecurity, and an absence of employer‐provided benefits. This article examines the prevalence of precarious work in the growing logistics sector of the U.S. economy and the mechanisms facilitating these working conditions. These domestic developments are placed in the context of the geographic reorganization of production and the restructuring of the employment relationship under a neo‐liberal political economic regime. This article highlights two logistics industries, drayage trucking and warehouse/distribution centers (W/DCs)—and the challenges facing workers in these industries. For port truckers, this involves their misclassification as “independent contractors.” For W/DC workers, the core issue is labor outsourcing and temporary work. The article concludes with an overview of recent labor actions taken to improve conditions for workers.

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Port Trucking as a Test Case of Precarious Work in the Grey Zone of Work and Employment

Abstract: Le camionnage dans les ports, un cas type de travail précaire dans la zone grise du travail et de l'emploi

Cited by 2 publications

References 26 publications

On the Job, Off the Books: Organizing Against Worker Misclassification in the Neoliberal Era

On the Job, Off the Books: Organizing Against Worker Misclassification in the Neoliberal Era

Draying and Picking: Precarious Work and Labor Action in the Logistics Sector

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