All they wanted was access to indoor plumbing, and one employee was so determined to get it, he flew to Australia to take up the issue with the head of the company. The result? Toll Transportation, an Australian multi-national trucking company, laid off 26 San Pedro, CA port truck drivers in what drivers say is retaliation for their efforts to improve working conditions. Several of the terminated drivers, calling themselves the ‘Toll 26’ have filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board accusing Toll of intimidation, harassment, and retaliatory scheduling and firings.
In October local port drivers employed by Toll circulated a petition asking for access to company bathrooms and break room, after complaining that they were relegated to unsanitary and improperly maintained outdoor porta-potties with no running water, and were also denied permission to access drinking water in Toll’s break room at the port. The indoor break room and bathrooms are currently open to non-driver employees and management only. Although more than 78% of the local drivers signed the petition, employees claim Toll management refused to address their concerns.
“This is America, right? All we were asking for was shelter from sun and rain, and access to water and bathrooms.” Alberto Quiteno
“That’s when we called the Teamsters,” said long-time company driver, Alberto Quiteno. Mr. Quiteno and representatives of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports assert that soon after drivers began organizing, Toll Group called in a self-described “union buster” from Texas, and held mandatory meetings where drivers were aggressively discouraged from forming a union and some were made to fear for their job security. In addition, individual drivers were said to be interrogated by management for hours at a time. The company has not responded to our requests for comment on these allegations. Meanwhile, workers are journaling their struggle at GrimTruthAtTollGroup.com
In a fascinating turn of events, Quiteno boarded a plane for Australia to attend Toll Group’s annual shareholders meeting and present driver concerns directly to company CEO, Paul Little. “We are hard workers. We want to bring food to our tables for our families,” Quiteno said. According to him, it was announced at the shareholders meeting that Toll Group’s annual revenue had been $8.2 billion, and that CEO Little would receive nearly $3.5 million in pay and bonuses upon his retirement in December.
While Quiteno was granted meetings both with the outgoing and incoming Toll CEOs, his request was denied for American drivers to be afforded the same humane treatment that Toll Group’s Austrailian drivers received. In a show of solidarity, Michael Aird, Senior Official for Transport Workers’ Union (TWU)—the Australian union representing Toll's drivers down under—said, "Alberto's Australian workmates have a number of concerns…It’s unacceptable for [Toll’s] American [port] site not to provide running water and a basic functioning toilet.”
Mr. Aird went on to say that Aussie drivers have always been able to work through their differences with Toll Group, and that TWU members were shocked and concerned that U.S. drivers were fired for raising their concerns directly with Toll’s management in Australia.
Indeed, Quiteno was preparing to board a plane to return home, when he was notified by Teamster representatives that he and 25 others had been sacked. The date on the driver’s final paychecks coincided with a rally at Toll's San Pedro truck yard, in which about 200 supporters had assembled for the purpose of delivering a community petition bearing approximately 1,000 signatures. “This is America, right?” Quiteno says. “All we were asking for was shelter from sun and rain, and access to water and bathrooms.”
According to TJ Michels of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports, workers and community members will gather in front of the Los Angeles Australian Consulate to protest Toll’s actions on Thursday November 10. They hope to be joined by local protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement committed to standing up for worker’s rights.
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