Business & Tech
Immigrant 'Car Shuttlers' Plan Protest Over Planned Layoffs At Hertz
Many of these current employees have performed the job for 10 to 20 years. Rally will be today at SFO.
BAY AREA, CA – A group of mainly immigrant workers are protesting Monday at the San Francisco International Airport Hertz car rental center in an attempt to get Hertz to rescind a planned layoff of the workers.
The rally is set for noon to 1 p.m. in the Kiss & Fly area on North McDonnell Road.
The workers who are known as car shuttlers or "hikers" have already received their layoff notices, Lucia Lin, senior movement building and alliance coordinator for the Chinese Progressive Association, said.
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Hertz is outsourcing the jobs, Lin said. Car shuttlers are responsible for moving cars from the return area to other parts of the rental center such as the repair shop or cleaning center.
Lin said workers believe Hertz is outsourcing the jobs to cut costs. Hertz didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Many of the current workers have been car shuttlers for Hertz for 10 to 20 years.
"And they do this job very well," Lin said.
The car shuttlers have also claimed that they have been harassed and discriminated against as they passed out cards to prospective union members.
The company chosen to hire replacement workers is not a union shop, the organizers allege.
The company hiring the replacement workers may hire some of the current shuttlers.
"They may, but there are no guarantees," Lin said.
The last day for the current shuttlers is Nov. 7. They were informed of the layoffs in early September, according to Lin. The shuttlers believe the layoff is very disrespectful since many have worked for Hertz for so long and the workers haven't heard of any problems with their work.
Lin said the shuttlers believe their replacements won't be as safe as they are, aren't trained as well and overall don't provide the level of service they do.
Two San Francisco supervisors will attend the rally. Supervisor John Avalos and Supervisor Jane Kim, who is running for state Senate, are expected along with representatives of the Dignity for Hertz Car Shuttlers
Coalition.
Only three of the 156 shuttlers are white. More than half are Chinese and the rest are either Hispanic or Filipino, Lin said. Many of the shuttlers came to the United States to make a better life for themselves and
their families.
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