Coronavirus causes the merchandise that arrives at the ports to take time to leave and, according to one worker, the transport that distributes them is also affected.
Until a few days ago, Aristides Mejía considered having a stable job.
As the owner of a cargo truck, and an independent worker, he transported the merchandise of a company in the port of San Pedro to its destinations in different areas of Los Angeles.
However, Mejía said that just over a month ago, he began hearing rumors that the coronavirus would affect cargo truck drivers. As the days passed, these became reality.
"And now it is affecting us a lot because we no longer have the same volume of work as before," said this man who has more than 12 years of experience in the field.
Mejía, of Salvadoran origin, explained that she is in charge of transporting all kinds of merchandise to the warehouses in Los Angeles, such as basic household items – such as soap, toilet paper, disinfectants, among other items.
"But right now not enough is coming and what is coming is being put in (temporary) isolation … Meanwhile, we are not doing anything," said the 43-year-old man.
Additionally, he indicated that he currently suffers from a mild flu but although he worries about his health, he refuses to go to the doctor. "There is fear of going to the hospital and getting more infections," he said.
An uncertain future
Mejía, who is married and has two children of legal age, said that he is very concerned about the current situation since last week his check was extremely small.
"After tax deductions, paying for the truck, diesel gas and (vehicle) insurance, I only had $ 48.88," he said, adding that now he has to call the company by phone to see if there are charges.
"There are times when they tell us, 'there is nothing today' or 'wait' and there we wait. We are working daily, "he said.
The Salvadoran said he does not have a specific plan in case he loses his job. "If (things) continue like this, my plan B is to go live below freeway 101," he said worriedly.
So far, Mejia – who is part of the Teamsters union – said she has not heard of the help available to workers and has not applied for unemployment in the hope that things will improve before she is in need of do what.
It is estimated that around 12,000 cargo truck drivers in California have been affected in their jobs due to the coronavirus.
Combined, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach represent the ninth largest port complex in the world in terms of container traffic.
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) estimates that cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles fell just under 23% in February.
Meanwhile, the port of Long Beach decreased its commercial volumes by 10% – below what was reported in 2018.
Soft cargo volumes present challenges for US exports as overseas containers remain with fewer ship departures, explains the LAEDC website.
"This will have a ripple effect on the region's commerce and logistics industry, an industry valued at more than $ 1.5 billion annually in the five-county region of Southern California — Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura," LAEDC explained.
"We anticipate a possible increase in cargo volume once the virus is contained and production levels rise again."
Resources:
The California Department of Employment Development (EDD) is providing information through its social networks so that people who are out of work can apply for unemployment financial aid (UI) and state disability insurance (SDI).
People are encouraged to fill out their form online due to high demand that is causing delays.
For more information to apply for unemployment visit: https://edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/UI_Online_Espanol.htm
