Adam D. K. King: "The Trucker Convoy is not a workers' revolt"[1]
Phil interviews Tony Leah, Political Action Committee Chairperson, Unifor Local 222, about the article above, which Tony feels is excellent because it points out that the owner-operators who form the so-called "Freedom Convoy" aren't workers, but rather owner-operators, i.e. petit-bourgeois.
Leah points out that deregulation under Reagan and Thatcher was key to undermining the railroads, airlines, and their unions. Truck drivers had strong contracts under the Teamsters union, but since 1980 deregulation and free trade have driven standards down. Two tier agreements, non-unionized smaller companies, owner-operators and misclassified âindependent contractorsâ have expanded.
One leader of the Freedom Convoy is actually the owner of a trucking firm. Most of the other leaders aren't "truckers" at all, but rather right wing political grifters.
The article by Adam King highlights abuses by the owners of trucking companies, showing that 80% of all federal Labour Standards complaints come from the trucking industry. The victims are frequently immigrant and racialized workers.
It is very striking that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are complaining about how their citizens' funds, donated to the 'Freedom Convoy,' are being returned by GoFundMe. Why are Floridians and Texans contributing to a Canadian right-wing action?
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