maybe if these morons didn't drive 40 in the fast lane on i-90 i'd care what they think

@1 Maybe if you had anything of value to contribute SLOG would care what you think.

This letter doesn't say it supports or is against the shut down one way or another, it just says that it will definitely impact them and discusses how rough they have it as workers right now.

So while you can imply that they can afford to be impacted, they still haven't said anything one way or another.

So pro/con it doesn't say anything.

Very informative letter. Thanks for posting it, Eli.

Wow. This is an incredibly powerful statement. It takes a lot of guts to sign your name to something like this. We'll all be better off if these people are able too unionize.

Seriously, bathrooms? Why is it so hard to provide these folks with decent bathrooms?

People making below $50K a year need a raise.

A big raise.

After that we can start talking.

But not before.

The Guardian has a nice blog they intend to update...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/201…

@1: Did you even read the letter? These workers' dignity is impugned every time they go to work, and that's your contribution to the conversation?

This is fan-fucking-tastic.

Is this protest focused on the rights of immigrant truck drivers? That's the way that the Magnolia Blog is framing it and I noticed that the signatures on the letter would seem to bear that out.

http://www.magnoliavoice.com/2011/12/12/…

I am a Longshoreman in Tacoma & watch these people work so hard for so little. They show up the night before & sleep in their Truck to get a jump on the day, they wait in lines for hours to get onto the terminal, then generally have to wait in line once inside the terminal to get their load. I have a female friend who is sexually harassed by Longshore workers, but is afraid to complain because they can ban her from the terminal. These people have their basic rights ignored on a daily basis & are paid as low as $10 a load, When you spend $20 just on fuel for that run. If it's busy, you may only make it through the gates 3 times in a day. These are Americas sweat shop workers. Almost everything you buy/wear/use , you have because of them.

@ Swearengen... Those are Longhaul drivers. Completely different from these truckers who just go from port to warehouse back to port... Your the MORON!!

It seems like addressing the misclassification of these workers as independent contractors is the easiest start to tackling this problem. Why has the IRS not done so?

#1 - Your thinking of mini van and prius drivers. Truckers usually stick to the right unless they are trying to get around some bonehead.

It is really ugly that these people are not even provided with a place to piss. They should pull up in front of #1's house and stage a piss in. Or perhaps anyplace that sells Ralph Lauren could do.