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CLEAN AIR * USA - Port plan decried
Environmentalists, labor groups, drivers say harbor program unfairLong Beach,CAL,USA -The Long Beach Press-Telegram, by Kristopher Hanson -March 13, 2008: -- It wasn't the first time, and it probably won't be the last... Local truck drivers, environmentalists and labor groups directed their fury at Mayor Bob Foster at City Hall on Tuesday for his support of a "Clean Trucks" program that they argue unfairly burdens low-income truck drivers with high costs tied to the purchase of new trucks... By the mid-1980s, non-union drivers made up the bulk of local harbor truckers, and because these drivers are not provided health insurance, a retirement plan or overtime, transportation costs for retailers and shippers dropped significantly... Fierce competition for work among drivers also helped drive down shipping rates, leaving truckers with less money to spend on the purchase and maintenance of their vehicles... Consequently, by the mid-1990s, contract drivers in San Pedro Bay were operating some of the oldest, most-polluting vehicles in the state, leading to increased health risks for local communities, according to studies performed by the California Air Resources Board and Cal State Long Beach... Health studies show residents in and around San Pedro Bay - the nation's busiest seaport - suffer from disproportionately high rates of asthma, cancer and heart disease... (Photo by (Scott Smeltzer/Staff Photographer - Protesters and truck drivers congregate on Ocean Boulevard outside Long Beach City Hall on Tuesday to show their concern over a clean trucks policy the Long Beach Port recently adopted. "There's no way we can afford new trucks and maintenance in the future," said trucker Oscar Tarelo)
Labels: "Clean Trucks" Program
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