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Protesting the High Cost of Fuel * USA - Truckers on the Move
New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York, Maine and other areas have seen trucker slowdowns, shut downs, horn-blaring convoys, marches and other acts of resistance
Seattle,WA,USA -Socialist Alternative, by Jeff Booth -Jun 5, 2008: -- Recent trucker protests are another sign of deepening economic crisis. $4 a gallon and more for diesel fuel sparked a wave of long-haul truckers’ protests beginning in April and still continuing... Most long-haul truckers are now “owner-operators”. They “own” (most are paying off a loan) a big rig, while also paying for fuel, tolls, repairs, insurance and other expenses and contracting out their services to big companies or “brokers” to deliver goods... Owner-operators are forced to compete with each other in a constant race to the bottom -to deliver at the lowest price in order to get work. As a result, they have low profit margins and like most small businesses, many go under. For the last twenty years, many truckers suffered dearly for any cost savings with mass layoffs, union-busting, and more stressful and dangerous working conditions... The owner-operators should link with the Teamsters and other unions to demand an end to deregulation of the industry, for a living wage, union rights, and a united struggle against the giant oil companies... High fuel prices are mostly the result of monopolization, speculation, lack of planning and just plain greed of the big oil companies. These companies are making colossal profits, and their executives and big shareholders are completely unaccountable...
Labels: fuel costs crisis
posted by Unknown @ 7:24 AM
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