FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 9, 2012
Contact: Maggie Kao,
202-675-2384
Sierra Club Stands in Solidarity with Port Truck
Drivers’ Struggle
Seattle-Tacoma, WA – In
the past week, we have seen hundreds of courageous acts by the port truck
drivers of Seattle and Tacoma, as they abandoned their trucks and walked-out of
the Puget Sound Port in protest of the safety hazards they face daily at their
jobs, hazards that jeopardize their health and the health of the communities
they work in. The port truckers who flooded the Olympia Capitol did so in
support of a bill (HB-2527) that would alleviate burdens on working families
and require the corporations responsible for safety hazards and violations to
pay their own fines.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director
Michael Brune issued the following statement:
“The Sierra Club stands
in solidarity with these brave individuals and in support of the Coalition for
Clean and Safe Ports, an alliance among national and local environmental
organizations, truckers, labor unions, and faith leaders promoting economic and
environmental justice for our ports.
“The 400 truck drivers
of Seattle and Tacoma are among the 150,000 port truckers around the country
who struggle daily to make a livelihood for themselves and their families.
Port truckers are classified as ‘self-employed’ which leaves them – rather than
the corporations they work for – responsible for their aging and deteriorating
trucks. These trucks are not only a
hazard for those that are driving them, but they are also a significant source
of air pollution and have created a pollution ‘hot spot’ in South Seattle,
putting the entire community at risk.
“The Sierra Club stands
in solidarity with the truck drivers or Seattle and Tacoma, and defends the
right of workers to unionize, work in a safe environment, and protect the communities
they work in.”
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