January 04, 2007

"New port security may stall trucking"

Stephen Franklin and Darnell Little of the Chicago Tribune offer this:

Fanning out from the mammoth ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, 16,000 drivers, nearly all of them Latino, crisscross Southern California's congested highways, carrying freight that will make its way to every part of the country.

But a number of the drivers are undocumented immigrants, and they could soon find themselves out of work and freight ould begin backing up across the country...

...Like any business pondering how it will get by without undocumented workers, the trucking industry is in deep debate about what could lie ahead.

"There could be a huge impact," said Curtis Whalen, an official for the American Transportation Association. "If you start getting whacked in the West, you will have an impact in Chicago because of less traffic flow."

Oh, the horror that would ensue if Americans had to pay a few cents extra for lettuce, sneakers, or Tickle Me Elmo dolls.

However, let's compare that dire warning from the first two paragraphs with the details they reveal in the rest of the article:

* A large percentage of port drivers are illegal aliens. In other words, foreign citizens about whom we know nothing are able to handle freight which travels our busiest highways, possibly leading to terrorist attacks.

* Due to deregulation, trucking companies have been able to engage in union busting through hiring illegal aliens, including some who are bottom feeders who'll work for a very low price.

* Drivers make very little money, and contribute to pollution because they can't even afford to upgrade their trucks.

* Some trucking companies that pay good wages no longer do port work because they can't compete with those who hire illegal aliens and other very low-wage workers.

* Port truckers are driving chassis in bad repair, possibly leading to accidents.

Let's keep an eye out for who ends up supporting the American Transportation Association and others who will no doubt try to advocate for the current situation. I suspect that will be the usual suspects: the media, most Democratic leaders, and all Bush-linked GOP leaders.

Posted to Immigration at January 4, 2007 10:06 PM

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