Heroes Wear Vests

Mayors Eric Garcetti and Eric Garcia

This holiday season alone, most of what the average American buys for their loved ones will come from the port truck drivers of your cities, making them the closest thing we have to a real world Santa. Yet these “Santas” are often left too little money to buy presents and celebrate the holidays with their family. Because the trucking companies and a larger Corporate Empire are breaking the spirit of the holiday season, the spirit of all hero stories, and frankly: the actual letter of the law.

By signing up, you are joining an army of those within Imagine Better and the Justice for Port Drivers Campaign who are working to create change. One of the organizations sponsoring this petition may contact you but you can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you so much for your support and please spread the word!

Petition by
Gravatar
DC, District of Columbia

To: Mayors Eric Garcetti and Eric Garcia
From: [Your Name]

Dear Mayor Garcetti and Mayor Garcia:

We ask you to join us as we launch our Heroes Wear Vests campaign. We appreciate that we share with you both a love for amazing hero stories that grace the silver screen, our comics, and more, Now we ask that you stand up for the real world heroes in your cities: the port truck drivers of LA and Long Beach.

Every American’s livelihood is off the backs of these hard-working Americans. We rely on them for the everyday items we buy in Costco, furniture we buy in Walmart, and clothing we buy in Target.

This holiday season alone, most of what the average American buys for their loved ones will come from the port truck drivers of your cities, making them the closest thing we have to a real world Santa. Yet these “Santas” are often left too little money to buy presents and celebrate the holidays with their family. Because the trucking companies and a larger Corporate Empire are breaking the spirit of the holiday season, the spirit of all hero stories, and frankly: the actual letter of the law.

We invite you to enforce the law AND to take pride in the real world heroes that are the port drivers in your respective cities. As we proceed, we would ask the three following things:

That you present these drivers with the keys to the city. In many of our stories, the heroes are presented with the keys for the work that they do. It is time for Los Angeles and Long Beach to take pride in housing a port that gives to the entire nation and honor these workers with the same gesture.

That you declare actions that you will take to prevent the deaths of Americans on the road. You can build a powerful legacy by keeping our roads safe and holding shipping companies accountable.

Port truck drivers are forced by their employers to break federal law and drive for 20 hours a day, six days a week, sometimes on as little as two hours of sleep. This practice makes our roads dangerous for everyone, including kids of all ages. Every potential fatality caused by these companies is your responsibility. It is time to enforce the law with confidence.

Enforce the law. This includes putting an end to misclassification and wage theft, thus, ensuring that the heroes of your cities no longer need to live in modern-day slavery.

As you well know, the port truck drivers in your city are facing conditions that are amongst the worst in all of U.S. history. Often the lucky few who have the ability to leave this modern-day slavery do not because they will not leave their fellow drivers behind.

We ask that you show even a tiny fraction of the courage that such drivers employ every day.

There is no question that the port truck drivers of Southern California form the backbone of the American economy. What they need from We the People -- from our elected officials -- is the same backbone that they offer our nation. Senators Warren, Brown, Harris, Feinstein, and Sanders have already taken a stance. Will you?

With hope that you will join us in turning an American Nightmare into an American Dream,

Andrew Slack
Imagine Better Creator and President