After days of truckers protesting AB5 shut down terminals at the Port of Oakland, the port’s marine terminals are up and running again.
“The Port of Oakland has resumed full operations,” Port Executive Director Danny Wan said in a July 25 statement. “We appreciate the independent truck drivers’ use of the designated Free Speech Zones and we thank local law enforcement for their continued assistance.”
Terminals reopened Saturday, July 23, after hundreds of truck drivers began protesting the implementation of AB5, a state law mandating stronger language for labeling workers as independent contractors.
The law that was adopted in 2018 was recently affirmed by the courts after the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to review it.
“The truckers have been heard and we now urge them to voice their grievances with lawmakers, not the Port of Oakland,” Wan said.
The protests stopped the “timely flow of international commerce including medical supplies, agricultural products, auto and technology parts, livestock and manufacturing parts,” according to the port, whose maritime operations in the state is said to account for $56.6 billion in economic impact, including $281 million in state and local tax revenue.
