We Need Clean Air + Good Jobs

LA Mayor Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Garcia

Join René Flores, who was featured in the USA Today article Rigged, and other port truck drivers in calling for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti & Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia to ensure that port drivers will NOT have to pay for the proposed new zero emission trucks.

René routinely worked 20-hour days before being fired by Morgan Southern, which hauls goods for Walmart and Harbor Freight, because he spoke out concerning the wage theft and unsafe working conditions he faced as a port driver. René recently delivered a letter to the Mayors stating, “We have chosen to raise our children here and my wife and I want them to breathe clean air. I know the trucks need to be replaced. But families like mine shouldn’t have to pay for your program – you must take a stand and demand that the trucking companies and their big retail customers pay for these new zero-emission trucks. And you must kick out any trucking company that breaks the law and makes us pay for their equipment.” It’s time for the Mayors to get serious about protecting DRIVERS, our communities and the environment.

To: LA Mayor Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Garcia
From: [Your Name]

You recently received a letter from René Flores, a port truck driver who was fired by Morgan Southern, which hauls goods for Walmart and Harbor Freight, for speaking out against 20-hour work days and routine wage theft he experienced as a port truck driver. René and his co-workers are deeply concerned that once again the cost of new trucks will be put on them as the new Clean Air Action Program is finalized.

I wholeheartedly support the sentiment expressed in René’s letter to you:
“We have chosen to raise our children here and my wife and I want them to breathe clean air. I know the trucks need to be replaced. But families like mine shouldn’t have to pay for your program – you must take a stand and demand that the trucking companies and their big retail customers pay for these new zero-emission trucks. And you must kick out any trucking company that breaks the law and makes us pay for their equipment.”

Those living close to the ports of LA and Long Beach deserve clean air, which is why I also support community and environmental organizations in calling for the ports to go further on clean air standards. It is time that the Mayors, ports, big retailers, and the companies we work for are held accountable to workers, communities, and the environment we live and work in.

Sincerely,