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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