Recommendation to 1) add language to our State and Federal Legislative Agendas to support legislation that improves working conditions for port truck drivers and addresses related issues; 2) request City Attorney to work with the California Labor Commissioner's and Attorney General's Offices to explore options to support regulatory enforcement efforts; and 3) request the Harbor and Tidelands Committee and the Long Beach Harbor Commission to hold hearings on the trucking crisis and misclassification of employees at the ports with the goal of finding solutions that protect the Port of Long Beach's proprietary interests.
Motion carries. Thank you very much. We're moving on to item 21, please. Item 21 is a communication from Mayor Garcia, Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilmember Pierce, Councilman Austin and Vice Mayor Richardson. Recommendation to add language to the state and federal legislative agendas to support legislation that improves working conditions for port truck drivers, requires city attorney to explore options to support regulatory enforcement efforts and request to harbor and Thailand's Committee and the law meet Harbor Commission to hold hearings on the trucking crises and misclassification of employees at the ports. Thank you very much. I mentioned at the state of the city earlier this year that we would be taking up this issue in this year because it was very important to the success of our port here in Long Beach, as well as our port complex. I want to just begin by, of course, thanking the council members that are have already signaled support of this item, and that includes the Councilwoman Gonzalez and Councilwoman Pierce that represent the Port of Long Beach and the two chairs of our both federal and state legislative committees of where this issue is currently in front of and where there will be significant debate on later this year. We're probably all aware that we have an amazing port. In fact, to 2017 was the best year on record for the port of Long Beach when it comes to cargo. We're really proud of the incredible work investments that have happened at the port. We were also aware that there currently is billions of dollars under construction right now at our port complex, and this includes the amazing bridge that we're building to welcome the larger ships. This includes our new rail projects that are going in across the port. And this, of course, includes infrastructure projects to ensure that our amazing workers at the docks, those that are working the docks, those are coming in and out of the port, have the infrastructure to do their work and to move goods in and out of our ports. It's also true that about 40% of America's goods, so 40% of everything that we're wearing or go to when we go home and see in our homes comes in and out of the ports of Long Beach in Los Angeles. So they're incredible engines of economic activity this year already. The port is off to a great year and may even break some more additional records. And so there's no question that the port economy will continue to boom. We are at a at a point, though, that both port leadership industry experts agree that we do have one major unresolved issue at the port that needs to be fix. And that's the current trucking system that we have at our port complex. The current trucking system that we have, quite frankly, is unsustainable. We have long wait times that force truckers to work long hours and limits their ability to make adequate number of trips per day to make a living. That also hurts those that are trying to get their goods from here across the country and certainly those trucking companies as well. And it's important to note that there's actually a lot of great trucking companies out working at the port. Some of them might be here tonight. We have some great both large and independent trucking firms in this industry that are doing a great job of moving goods and supporting their those that work for them every single day. But we also have a situation at the port where there are many trucking companies that, quite frankly, are taking advantage of the workers. It's important that good firms have the ability to put to pay appropriate wages and that they not be undercut by others who are not paying their employees properly. It's clear to me and to many others that truck drivers at the Port of Long Beach are often misclassified as independent contractors, which results in them working poverty level wages and denies them the protections guaranteed by state and federal laws. Now, the California Labor Commissioner has recently received more than 900 complaints regarding misclassification of truckers at the ports and upheld more than 500 claims and has awarded millions of dollars in fines and restitution at the ports because of this very issue. The Commission has fined companies millions of dollars for misclassifying and underpaying truck drivers working at our ports. Our truck drivers, who are working incredibly long hours and who are trying to feed their families, deserve the dignity of a living wage. USA Today on this issue and other outlets have published numerous stories in recent months which detail some of the abuses that are going on in the trucking industry and describe the working conditions for truck drivers in really poor and poor ways. We probably all read these reports. And again, I want to reaffirm that this we are not talking about all trucking companies or all independent truck driving firms. We are talking about those that are they're really taking advantage of their workers. I personally have had a chance to meet and talk to many of these truck drivers and their families firsthand. Many of them live in Long Beach. They are our neighbors and they're working hard every single day to move goods in and out of the port. The city of Long Beach in the Port of Long Beach are booming and we couldn't be more proud. It's time that we work with our state and federal counterparts to identify the urgent solutions needed to address these issues, and that will allow our hardworking truck drivers to move our goods in and out of the port, make a living wage, and have basic worker protections. This I. Tonight, we'll do three things. The first is it will align our language so that our both our state and federal legislative agendas will support legislation that is has either been submitted or is about to be submitted. On this port related issue of misclassification, there is already legislation in Congress that we probably are all aware of, and I've asked the federal alleged committee to please take that issue up. And as early as the next day or two, there will be major state legislation in front of us in Sacramento that addresses this issue directly. And I'm also asking our state legislative committee to also please take up this issue. Those committees are headed up by Vice Mayor Richard Richardson and Councilmember Al Austin. I'm also asking in this request to request the city attorney to work directly with the California labor commissioner and the attorney general's office to explore options to support regulatory enforcement efforts. And I'm requesting our Harbor Entitlements Committee and the Long Beach Harbor Commission to independently hold hearings on this trucking issue. It really is a crisis and on misclassification of employees at our ports. I've been working with the city attorney to ensure that this item aligns with recent case law and some of the restrictions that both the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles have due to cases that have been in front of this city, and, of course, that we're all aware of in the last few years. And so we've been working hand in hand on on this item. I want to thank the coauthors and the rest of the council for hearing this item tonight. And it is really time that we begin to address this issue for our truck drivers. And so with that, I want to thank those that are here, and I want to turn this over to a few people that want to add to that. Councilwoman Gonzalez. Yes. I first want to thank everybody for being here. I know it's been a long time coming. Discussing this issue on multiple levels, trying to figure out what the best solution is for Long Beach. And I really feel confident that we have a step in the right direction. I want to thank Mayor Garcia. I know his leadership in this and making sure that it came to the agenda and we had a chance to discuss this is very important. So I am the lucky one that actually sits on Harbor and Tidelands. I share that with my colleagues, Councilwoman Pryce and Councilmember Pearce. And so we look forward to engaging in those discussions and having a listening mode where we can listen but also collect data, as well as understand how the industry has changed and where the gaps are to make sure that we're recovering those. I have personally met with Councilmember Buscaino, who led the effort in L.A. H to Teamsters Local 848 396 to make sure that we're being comprehensive with this as much as possible. And lastly, I know that in about a year and a half ago when we discussed this item, we led an effort on the council to acquire about $700,000. And so I would like to make sure that we include that in this item as well. $700,000 that we designated for wage theft, education or something revolving around this whole issue of misclassification. And I would just like to make sure that we include that in this item and find a plan and create a plan on how we can utilize that money. And so with that said, I look forward to working with many of you and we'll see where we go from here. But thank you very much. Thank you, Councilmember Pierson. Yes. I want to thank the leadership of our mayor for bringing this forward. When I first moved to Long Beach, I recall my first getting to know Lane, who I used to work for was 27, and we were organizing around our ports, around the Clean and Safe Truck campaign. And so while that was just the beginning for me, I know that many of you in this room have been trying to fix our ports since they've been broken, which has been decades. And so I want to applaud you all for not letting up, for not letting cities or business tell you that there's not a way forward , because I know what the struggle is like daily. I've been in your living rooms and I've heard your stories. I've seen the bunk beds in your in your home and your living room floor where you're trying to feed your family on sometimes pennies. So I'm really excited to be a part of this council today as we hear this item. When I think about this item, there are three areas that I think of that impact. And one is for you, the driver and the daily impact it has for you, for your families, what it means for you guys to be away from home for so long for having that poverty sometimes not all the time. And for our neighborhoods. Whenever we think about our clean air, when I think about our port, I think about what an amazing spectacle it is to drive over the bridge and to see how amazing the goods movement industry is. And I've had the pleasure of also getting to go down there and take a tour and see how everything works. And it is one of the things that I love about Long Beach. I'm originally from Houston, where we also have a large port. And so I want to applaud those businesses, which I think the industry says is or are. Some experts would say that about 10 to 15% of our industry already is doing the right thing. They're already working to make sure that there's an employee status, that people are going home with a paycheck, that they can depend on that they're not going through. I encourage all of you to read the USA Today article that outlines some of the fear tactics that have happened, and that's from a third party that's not from a union organizer or from a trucking company, but real stories about what have happened daily in our ports. And so when we think about those stories in our ports, in the spectacle, that is it is an amazing asset for us to have in the city. I'm thankful for the port bringing forward grants to help clean up our air for moving as fast as they can on green technology. And it's time that we no longer put that green technology on the backs of workers. It's time that we make sure that we're investing in a system that respects you, treat you with dignity, and ensures that our infrastructure is going to be one we can all be very proud of. And so when I think about the last step, I think about all the strikes that have happened at our port and the fact that sometimes it's unsustainable and sometimes it feels like crisis. And sometimes we have ships that are sitting out there waiting for workers that can bring their labor forward in a dignified way. And so outside of the worker issue and what's happening in your home, I think it's really important that we as a city recognize some of the impacts that labor disputes have had. On our local economy. And I hope as we move forward to look at the different areas and I know that we have a lot of people playing are going to be hearing from stakeholders through this process. But I hope that we are able to get some data on what's happening today. How has the industry changed since we've started having this conversation and what are policies that not only at the state level and not only at the federal level, but what are we doing in Long Beach to say we're protecting our assets and our financial bottom line and that all workers in this city are treated with dignity and respect. So I look forward to the process. I hope that we can work closely and on a tight timeline to make sure that this isn't lingering. And I guess I have a one question for the mayor. Did you see this item after having all the stakeholder meetings coming back to this body with all of our reports? I do. I mean, I think there's a lot of a lot of pieces to the item. And so I think I think most importantly, I think we need to immediately support the kind of federal and state efforts with our partners. And I think most importantly, I think to have both the Harbor Commission, which is where obviously where they have direct authority over over the port and for our title, the Harbor Commission, to meet and then work with our city attorney on some on on ideas and language, but also the opportunity for the for our attorney to work directly with the labor commissioner, who has a lot of data that that that department also wants to share with the council. Great. Thank you so much. And congratulations on this next step in the long journey, guys. Thank you, Vice Mayor Richardson. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I wanted to add my voice in support of this motion. And we know that sort of cargo doesn't move. Goods don't move without drivers and profits aren't made without drivers. But it's not fair to put profits on make your profits on the backs of drivers. This is, you know, across the country, in our state, this is the direction things are heading and now's the right time. So as chair of Federal Legislation Committee, we're going to take this up along with other items, because reality is there may be party change in November. And if it is, we need to be ready to move an agenda for Long Beach. If there is party change or leadership change in November and a Congress is more favorable to work with Long Beach on some legislation. So I think the timing is timing is is good. I concur with most of the things that my colleague said here, but I think this sends a strong message on behalf of Long Beach that this is where we stand, this is where we are. And we hope that that Los Angeles and other cities really take note. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Councilman Orson. Thank you very much. And I certainly extend the support of this item as well. This this issue of our truckers and their classification as independent contractors versus employees has been a an issue, a contentious issue for many years here in the city. I think this is a great step forward. And I want to thank you, Mr. Mayor, for your leadership. I want to thank my colleagues for their support of this item as well. We have to sit, as our vice mayor, sent a strong message not only to Sacramento but also to Washington, D.C., that the goods movement industry here in Long Beach, in this region and nationally is very important to our overall economy. So much comes through our ports but also impacts our freeways. But at the end of the day, this is these are families. These are workers in their families that are that are that are impacted by injustices that are that are currently taking place within some some of the companies at the port also want to recognize those that are that are good actors and that are treating their employees well. I think, you know, we need to look at those as a as a model, but we certainly need to send a strong, unified voice that that employees, particularly in this critical industry and in our city, should be treated as employees, should be afforded the rights of employees in the protections of employees. And so I'm happy to support this item this evening and encourage my colleagues to do so. Thank you, Councilmember Councilman Ringo. Thank you, Mayor. I think that your report was quite succinct and to the point. I've walked with some of these truckers in. In response to the bad treatment that they get there. They're like indentured servants. The way they're treated, they're asked to pay for things that the company should be paying. They're asked to work hours that are impossible and difficult to meet and that get them tired. At the end of day, their check is about a paltry sum that can barely sustain their families. So I strongly support this this item, and I'm glad that you brought it forward, Mayor. Thank you. Councilman Price. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So this is an issue that has been all over the news. In fact, NPR just did a story on it not too long ago. Might. And I support it. I think that's definitely something we need to stay on top of as a city and look at how the legislation is changing and make sure that our own efforts are consistent with that legislation. I'm wondering, as a friendly to this item, would it be possible for us to get quarterly briefings maybe at council or at the Titans Commission Committee? I'm open to either from the city attorney's office in terms of any legal updates on this topic, because California is not the only state that's dealing with this. This is really a national conversation. So I'm wondering if we could get, you know, a quarterly briefing or as updates become available, if we can get updates from the city attorney in terms of where the law is headed and what the courts have deemed acceptable practice. We'll add that to the motion. Mr. City Attorney, we're okay with that. Okay. Thank you, Councilwoman. With that, we're going to go into public comment. So please, if you have a comment, please come forward. Good afternoon, Mayor. City Council. My name is Jim Danno. I live here in Long Beach. I come from a very unique position. I'm also a Teamster as well as a city employee. My whole life has been spent with working with labor, working with my hands. And it's interesting. I'm sitting here and I'm listening to how we're going to have fair wages. There's been injustice, treatment. There's going to protect our workforce. And yet I hope that the city council does the exact same. Thing. When it comes to public works and their own employees in this fine city. Teamster Brotherhood. Stay strong and you'll get what you deserve. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Hello to all the council members, the mayor. I sit here and I listen about that. And just then how, you know, people are not being treated fair and everything else. And I can understand that from a homeless point of view where you guys sit there and you say, okay, well, yeah, this system is not designed right or these people are being mistreated, but you continue to go home every night and still live your life like everything is okay. Yeah. Put out money to sit there and say, Oh yeah, we have civil lawsuits or we have claims of $5 million here or whatever. But then half the time we get swept under the rug, just like with homeless people. They mistreated they disrespected the courts in a real way that you are talking about. Your building is being filled by the riverbed where you pushed a lot of homeless people, too. So now the homeless people don't have anywhere to go where they're not being threatened or harassed by the city. These are people that used to be you guys, residents used to work at your offices and everything else, and you still turn a blind eye to it. I've been out here for a year, stressed out dog, had a miscarriage, got pregnant again, is still having got back into my housing. So for you guys to say that you are going to make so much of a big change in airports and everything else and it's just going to be so dramatic. I'm sorry to say you guys are just full of whatever with that. I mean, ya need to really start stepping up and stop covering up all the stuff that you guys are signing petitions or waivers for. 500 here, 700 here, a thousand here. Come on, now. But you guys can't afford to put homeless people in their houses or pay for these truck drivers. A real, you know, foundation. They're just working day to day. Don't know when they're going to be homeless. Your guys need to do a lot. Y are talking about building up long beach because it seems like it's all off the sweat of our backs and you guys get, you know, praise for it. Everybody have a blessed night. Yeah. Thank you. Your best night as well. Next speaker, please. Yeah, my name is Rob. Pete coming in the name of Jesus Christ. He's the only one that deserves honor to me, you know? Let me turn my camera around. So here we go. Okay. Yeah. So a Segway. And I've always said I agree with that. We've got to do a miracle for Americans. And you know my motto, Janine Price got a pierced got to go price days. Pierce goes price it prosecute Pierce so so the thing so you got to. Go. I know we on this this is good I was I was a truck driver. Hey. And I'm not against union Mr. Richardson or Mr. Austin because both of my parents, we got out of the ghetto to Carson because they had union jobs local 770. I'm just saying, you know, we mixed it up. So anyway, the thing is, is but when she says stuff scares me, I see all these other signatures on here. This is mayor. So Councilwoman Nina Garcia. Oh, Janine Pierce. Oh, I'm thinking hammer and sickle, man. Check this out. This all the stuff she said, straight pressure. You know, we don't want communism in Long Beach in America, red, white and blue. Okay. Now, that being said, as far as that truck with Mr. your anger wasn't a I lived it I drove trucks I own my own truck . Oh that the harbor of San Pedro if you don't make it with by 10:00 y'all man you through and everybody else going to Temecula and everything coming back $400 trips. You didn't had a pool and it took you 5 hours. So it's bad. But the reason why I so bad, most of the truck drivers in the companies I worked in, it was like three brothers, oh, one white guy and the rest. There are Latinos. But the Latino Americans were outnumbered because it was like 80% couldn't speak English. No, I'm not mad at them because if I lived in a nation that wasn't putting out more money, I'd be trying to come here, too. But we have to put Americans first. We got to do that. And it's real. Back in the truck when they talk that NAFTA stuff. Oh, man. The person that opened that owned the trucking company I was in, he bought 60 more trucks. He hired some people from down. And T.J.. Oh, look, we were getting the short runs. They were getting nice long runs after that. And then then all but one brother quit and then he got one brother left. And I ain't going name the company, but that's more than one company. So I'm here speaking for the brothers, you know, Black History Month. And hey, let's black people, let's get communism out. Long Beach, no direct controls driving black folks out. Remember that? And I got 19 seconds. Oh, black folks. Jeanine Pirro has got to go. We don't like communist black folks, like just want to be part of America. So I got 10 seconds, so I'm gonna say nothing bad today. Jeanine Pirro has got to go. Everybody else doing a pretty good job. You know, Jeanine Pirro has got to go 1/2. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay, next speaker, please. And good evening. My name is Leon Wood. I'm the interim pastor at Saint Mark, a Baptist church here in Long Beach. And I'm also the executive director of the Success and. Challenges Program. Here in the city. And I want to thank Mayor Garcia. The Councilmember Gonzalez and Councilmember Pierce for. Their championing. Of the motion. To address the inhumane working. Conditions of our brothers and sisters who are port truck. Drivers. This is the right step, and I think you're taking the right direction as a faith leader of the community. I believe the. Trucking companies that misclassify their port truck drivers as independent contractors in order to steal their employment benefits. As as well as avoid paying taxes on workers need to be. Brought to light and be brought to justice. Our brothers and sisters at the port do some of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. And yet being paid and not being paid in Los Angeles, living wage. They have to have in central insurance. They need all kinds of things that are needed as a secure employee. And they're not being given. That the workers are robbed of their wage and their dignity every. Day, going to work under unnecessary, life threatening working conditions. Because. Truck companies. Appear to be taking profit over lives, over human lives. If our soldiers risked their lives for their nation's safety. These port truck drivers risked their lives for our economic stability. If all the workers at the port stop working. Could you imagine what would happen to our economy? The crime of worker misclassification. Will make our ports less competitive than. Other countries. This will hold our city back from thriving and prospering like we have started and like we want to continue. So the Council of Long Beach, I asked you to take the complete leadership in our state like you've done in so many other things, to make sure that this continue. To go through and not be lost. Because I'm very proud of Long Beach and I and I appreciate the fight that you're doing for the everyday common person. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Next week across. Good evening. My name is Reverend John Forest Douglas, and I'm the associate minister at First Congregational Church just a few blocks away from here. And I'm also a member of Clergy and Lady United for Economic Justice, or CLW. In addition to serving a church and in District one, I live in District six and I've lived here in Long Beach for five years. And for five years I've heard these stories. Of those who work and drive trucks. At the ports. These brave brothers and. Sisters have shared. Accounts of suffering, wage theft, being misclassified and enduring all sorts of injustices in the workplace. So I'm here tonight to stand alongside and bear witness to the stories of my brothers and sisters and to urge you, the City Council, to make our community and our port more just for those who work there. Our Long Beach port truck drivers are an integral link in the American supply chain, and yet far too many workers suffer wage theft and work in what USA Today has called indentured servitude. I stand in the tradition of Jesus who declared his own. Mission as one that would tell good news. To the poor and set the captives free. A few times tonight. Mayor Garcia, you have said that this is a trucking crisis. And I think that you're right. This is a crisis. It's a crisis. When a worker completes a day's work and isn't given the compensation, they're due. I think it's a crisis when hard work is devalued. It's a crisis when workers are misclassified. It's a crisis when our brothers and sisters have to work so hard just to earn poverty wages. It's a crisis when companies. Can be. So unethical and so immoral just to save a buck on the shoulders of the workers who are often poor. It's a crisis, and it's gone on. Far too long. And so a crisis demands action by those in positions of leadership. And I thank. You for the leadership that you've taken. And so I stand here today to ask you to begin to address this crisis by listening to the. Stores. Stories of the drivers heeding the call of our mayor and ending wage theft and misclassification. At our ports. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Good evening, Mayor. Council members in the audience. My name is Gustavo. We are, in my mind, a pot driver. And I'm here tonight. I took the day off today. I usually bring the love from Mojave Desert to the port with 22 wheels, almost £80,000. And we respect the life of all people. We have to take a lot of time, believe it or no. Two years to bring our wealth to the country and put something back for our families. I came today to say that I'm a still they call independent driver. We pay fuel insurance. Maybe I take Obamacare. And a lot of abuses. And behind me, there's a lot of truck drivers who actually got a scare. They panic to come over and express what is going on for the past almost 40 years. And I just simply say thank you for the leadership, mayor and council members. And I really appreciate it. And. It'd be hard for my wife, my family and all my co drivers. Thank you and God bless to everyone. Thank you, sir. Speaker. Good evening. My name is Rabbi Jonathan Klein. I'm the executive director of Clergy and Lady United for Economic Justice. Or a clue? Two of my colleagues just spoke before me and I wanted to make sure we heard from a driver before I made my remarks as well , because it really is about their story, their plight, their struggle. And I want to thank the council members on this panel, including Rex Richardson and Al Lawson, for making a statement of support for this motion. We've been supporting working people, including port truck drivers and other port workers for over 20 years. CLW works with hundreds of faith leaders all over Los Angeles and Orange counties. Thank you. For those who have brought this matter to the Council, the painful stories of exploited workers expose the greed and devaluation of life at the port, all in the name of profits. That's profits with the letter F. Workers have already engaged in 15 unfair labor practice strikes over the past four years, confronting the epidemic of poverty, wages, misclassification and wage theft that steels their futures and that of their families. How many more strikes before laws and their enforcement will protect these workers who feel ignored, devalued, denied their dignity. How much more pain in body and in spirit will we pretend doesn't exist before we stop these toxic employers? You're right, Mayor. Not all of them, but plenty of them who right now are breaking laws and exploiting those who bring them their profits with an F, their inhumane business practices show the ugly side of human nature. Faith leaders will forever worry about the fate of these workers, the plight of them, the working poor, just as the prophets did. And that's with a H. Mayor Garcia and esteemed Council members. I'm hoping for a unanimous vote. Please take the concrete action steps to hold trucking companies accountable for violating the most basic of labor laws. The laws that create a structure for our society that allow us to have a functional society. These laws must be observed, otherwise we end up with lawlessness. One rabbi taught. The day is short and the task is great. But the master of the house is knocking at the door. The time is. Now. Will you commit to ending the wage theft and misclassification of workers in the port industry? Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker. Good evening, Councilor Max Nourse, Long Beach DSA. This is a moral issue and a moral crisis. I'm not going to get into the details. I think they've been addressed sufficiently. I think the problem here is that a year and a half ago, we met here to talk about talking about it. And now after a year and a half, we're talking about talking about talking about it. We're never going to act. The Los Angeles city attorney has filed charges. We know we're going to act. We're just going to we're going to sit around. We're going to wait. We're going to wait for the state legislature. We're going to wait for Donald Trump to do something. Let's be real here. This is these people are not making a living. They're literally in a position of sharecroppers. If we want a society. That's just for everybody, which. I think we can all agree on, let's see some urgency. It's great to talk platitudes. It's great to call things shameful, but show some urgency. Thank you, sir. Next speaker, please. Hello. My name is Andrew Mondo Hanno. I'm what? The Democratic Socialists of. America, Long Beach. I first want to say thank. You for bringing this forward. This is something these men and women have been waiting for for years. We are glad there. Is finally movement on the issue. However, we want to point out that while the discussion portion of this item speaks to the issues these workers are facing, we do not see a lack. We see we do see a lack of commitment to these workers in the recommendation itself. The last recommendation requests the Harbor Entitlements Committee and the Long Beach Harbor Commission to find solutions that protect the Port of Long Beach is priority interest. This should not be the end goal. This recommendation, rather, should find solutions that protects the daily lives of. The sanctuary of. These committed men and women behind me. But thank you, Mayor. Classmate Rex Richardson, Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilmember Pearce and City Attorney Perkins. We will be following this closely and are excited for what's to come. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. And just and just so you're well. So we worked very closely, of course, not just with the attorney, but also the coalition, a coalition of workers, even specifically on on that piece of the of the legislation as well. And so thank you. Next, people, please. Good evening, mayor and Council. My name is Holly Stewart. I grew up here in downtown Long Beach. And I think the thing that really strikes me about this whole issue is we call it our port and Los Angeles port, but our port of Long Beach, which means we are in many ways all of us responsible for what happens there. We can't blame trucking companies that don't follow the law. We can blame somebody else for this. We have to take the action. And our port commission and our council have got to say we're not going to run that kind of place in the name of Long Beach. We're going to run a place that is fair to workers, where workers lives are important, where their families can grow up and their children can have education because they can afford to live someplace where there is education and where they have the food in their stomach in the morning. So they go there to learn and we can do that. And you can help do it by making sure that this port that is our report, is run in a way so that every worker there can walk with pride, with with pride and with their family, knowing that they've now got insurance, that they've got health, they've got care, and they've got wages that pay you a decent amount. Way back when I was 20 years old and I'm now 78, I drove trucks for a while in two different states. In one state it was there were no unions. There was what was called a right to work state. And I got I think it was $0.65 an hour. Then I was over in another state where there was Union Teamsters and drove there. And all of a sudden I was getting about three or $4 an hour all the time. Now, $0.65, three or $4 doesn't sound like much now, but in 19 oh 60 or 1958, that was a pretty good amount of wage. So that's what we need to do here, is give people the opportunity. The people built this country. The companies don't build this country. The workers who do the work, they're the ones who build the country. And that's who we have to protect. And that is our job and your job as citizens and as our elected representatives. So thank you. Let's just get this done. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker, please. Yeah. Anna Kristensen And I, while I am not representing the Long Beach Area Peace Network. I am speaking as a member of from the perspective of the Long Beach Area Peace Work Network, which is for peace primarily, but also for social and economic and environmental justice. And this week, you may have read in the L.A. Times that the federal government, the migra, the I.N.S., decided to wildly stab at blindly at. Wherever it could. Reach. In California, we are on the blacklist, as we know, for being a sanctuary state. And and so they went to workplaces over 100. The response of a local activist was to spend a few hours today at one of those workplaces that happened to be a trucking operation. Just so we're clear here, there's no request on my part or anybody's part to make this issue any more complex or difficult or challenging for our council to be in favor of than it already is. Having had the experience with our Claudius Law issue, where women were not apparently getting this much support, never mind about that. Anyway, more to come. What I will say is that it's important to realize that when we talk about employers that are good employers, we talk about workers that are hard workers, that this is not a fight between the two or between us as a community. Employers and workers are all part of our community. They all need to be protected. They all need to have the right to operate their businesses and make a living wage. And when when they become separated by a federal government who is on the on the lookout and on the way to divide us as a society and make it harder for workers and employers to get the job done, we need to be protective of that, too. So when our city sanctuary bill comes before you and even in terms of this bill, when you're thinking about it, when you're having your your conversations and your work, realize that all workers have the right to work, whether they . What do I want to say? They had that time, like our like our law enforcement does. They have the time to do the job for our city, for their families and our community. They do not need to do the job that people who seek to divide us have decided they can stop. So we don't we want we want their rights to be known and understood. We hope we can get the city's cooperation in informing everyone in the workplace what their rights are when it comes to protecting their workers and the right to work. And by the way, I will say that Janine Pearce is is facing a recall funded by disgruntled hotel businesses to the tune of tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is not a grassroots movement and it is she is not in my way. Thank you for a comment. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Hello. My name is Matt Houston and I generally. Resort to politics as a very last resort. That being said, I'm here representing Matt Houston for governor, Matt Houston for sheriff and Matt Houston for mayor of Long Beach. And the reason for that last one, oh, one more is California Dash Republic, not U.S.. California. That republic taught us. One of my ancestors was the president of the Republic of Texas and I believe is represented by that little star on your flag there. I believe he came over here and recognized y'all as a republic in order to make sure that y'all weren't taken over by slaves like a the next like the president of the the Republic of Texas after that, who was a slave trader anyhow. So my we need to talk we need to talk to the issue on the. Sure, sure. Yeah, I'm getting to it. Yeah. The what is connected the mayor thing is connected that both my both my bosses, my family are have truck drivers. So that's one commonality between both sides of the family. One thing is that these guys are pretty good at is organizing. And so I would like to I would like to suggest looking at things from a different point of view. I have experience working. I stopped an al Qaeda attack from on on the NFL Network. They're trying to get the credit card numbers. And I was there. And in so doing, I realized that the system they're using under underlying that could operate a credit union. So I think maybe a way to deal with it would be to combine something like maybe the the the teachers credit union, the Teamsters credit union, the police credit union, the fire department credit union together link it up with the NFL teams and make sure to take care of the gentrification problem. So we can we have to we have to speak to the truck driving issue, which is the issue in front of us. Well, that's. Yeah, that's what I think. That's so. Improve their working conditions and request work with the Labor Commission. I think improving working conditions if you do it financially by, by, by setting up a credit union network so that they can support themselves and support the city of Long Beach so that you don't have to do things like say we're not going to support, you know, low income housing anymore. That's the reason why I'm run for mayor. And you could do that by bouncing timeshares across the country, would work real well for Teamsters, you know, and then that way it could, you know, when there's an influx of of people from elsewhere, you can finance all that, finance the stadiums, finance the city and all that kind of stuff and take care of the Teamsters as well. That's my suggestion. All right. Thank you, sir. Next speaker, please. Good evening, honorable council members, mayor and our friends, city staff. I'm actually here to speak on an agenda item later in the agenda. And Councilwoman Pryce asked me we bumped into each other upstairs and she said, Are you here to speak about the trucking issue? And I said, No, what trucking issue? But sitting here and listening to this, I am compelled to speak. So yes, I am sorry that I it took me a while to decide. I wasn't sure. Once again, my name is Vivian Malone, Lulu and I am a very proud port worker. I'm a member of ILWU Local 13. And listening to this argument, I would like to thank you for bringing this to the attention certainly of the city and the public. It is long overdue. Longshore workers have for many. Years been very. Frustrated at the delays that happen on the ports. We want to help our outside trucking brothers and sisters just as much as you do. And oftentimes our hands are tied. While it would be very easy to blame automation for failures and computers and long delays, that's actually not the problem. The problem has to do with logistics. The problem has to do with poor Manning, with not ordering enough workers. With a 24 hour port. System that shuts down while you've got warehouses. And I've written down some notes here as you've. Got. Chances independent. Workers and companies. Who manipulate the availability. Their Inland Empire distribution centers who closed Friday night and weekends. And there, you know, our port is open. I'm actually going to be at work later on tonight. I'll be working at the Port of Long Beach tonight. We are discharging thousands of containers, thousands of containers onto our docks. And yet the yard will only be open from 8 to 5. And sometimes they open on the evening will have dock work that will service truckers at night. But that doesn't happen all the time. And it doesn't happen at all the all the terminals. So the trucks will wait. Sometimes they do two loads per day. They get paid by the load. They get paid by the load, not the hour. We can have an outside trucker come into one of the ports at 9:00 in the morning and he might not get service until 2. P.m. because the computer. Will break down because the trans. Taylor Because there's not enough Manning because somebody else bumped him. So the logistics of it is what truly needs to be addressed. I know that my time is short, but I'd also like to call you. Attention to the beneficial cargo owners gap. Walmart, Old Navy, Nike. They control the costs at the warehouse and distribution centers. They are the ones who manipulate the outside trucking companies, who hire these truck drivers who deserve respect, who deserve to be treated fairly. And the IOW. We are more. Than willing and able to service them in a timely fashion. But we've got to work around logistics that are. Way above our pay. Grade, and the decisions that are being made have nothing to do with us. So good work. Keep it. Up. I commend your effort. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. These are the last two speakers. Good evening, Honorable Mayor Garcia, council members. My name is Louie Diaz, vice president of Teamsters Local 848 here in Long Beach, California. Local 848 proudly now represents more than 500 truck drivers who haul cargo on and off the docks of the Port of Long Beach , nearly all of whom work for companies that have determined that it's in their best business interests to follow U.S. labor laws, as you stated. These companies are being undercut day in and day out by companies like Nephi, Cal Cartage, XPO Logistics and International Intermodal Bridge Transport, to name a few and hundreds of others that are profiting off our ports, the people's ports, by exploiting mostly immigrant drivers. And these companies customers, giant retailers like Target, Home Depot and Amazon are aiding and abetting these lawbreakers by continuing to contract with them for drainage when they know without a question that they are illegally exploiting these drivers, often in violation of their own code of conduct. As was stated, nearly a thousand legal rulings of misclassification have been filed. More than $45 million in stolen wages ordered to be repaid. Drivers have taken to the streets within 15 strikes in four years, as was stated, causing major disruption to the port operations. Mr. Male Mayor and council members there is no need for additional studies or further investigation. These companies are breaking the law and failure to take action will only lead to more disruption at the ports of Long Beach. The jig is up. The time for action is now. Changes past due on behalf of Local 848 Principal Officer Eric Tate and every single member of Teamsters Local 848. Thank you, Mayor Council members for answering the call of the drivers and stepping forward to demand change. I support the motion on this agenda item. Thank you. Thank you. And our last speaker is for sergeant. With respect to workers and the port. And this this goes to whether or not you believe in God at all, whether or not you consider biblical history accurate or valid for these times. Read Revelations 18 and see what happens to the ports at the end of the age. See how God judges the ports specifically. See what He says about that. And the reason is because. If you are that rich and you're making that much money, God would expect you to look out for people who are slaving for you, who are bringing in your revenue. I noted at the 1933 earthquake, a big part of structure just fell in the ocean. And as I did history on what happened in 1933, I thought, why would God allow something like that to happen? Tonight as I heard this. I became burdened again. Because whether or not you're atheist, whether or not you believe in God, or whether or not you just believe you're running your own destiny. The creator of the moon has marked the date. And part of our issue is. We're defining people. With our eyes wide open. You know how easy it is for a trucker to get turned over on the freeway. How we cut them off. We cut them off at the pass. And the ports make billions. We make billions. And while you're sitting here, council people, all nine of you, whatever you decide, how will you vote? Understand when you vote. And if you vote for the wealthy, the counsel of heaven, which yet will make a decision, the counsel of heaven makes a decision irrespective to what you do here. They will say, is there justice, is there fairness? Is there equality in your distribution of wages that he has given to all of us? This is 2018. And this year will not be like the last few years that you have had to exist as a chartered city. One Nation under the guard of the flag you saluted tonight. Pay attention to how you vote. Pay attention. The clock is ticking on you now. Thank you, Mr. Assad. There there is a motion in a second on this. On this motion, I want to thank, of course, all of the coalition. Most importantly, I want to thank the truck drivers. And appreciate you guys continuing to advocate for such an important issue at our ports. And we look forward to this being the year where we really begin to address this issue in a way that's serious and that respects the dignity of your work. So thank you. And please cast your votes, members. Motion carries. Thank you very much. Thank you again. We're going to take item 23, please.