Teamster port truck driver to speak at White House summit

Driver Alex Paz will be at the White House Wednesday.

Alex Paz, a Local 848 member, will be a panelist at the first-ever “White House Summit on Worker Voice” tomorrow in Washington. As a nonunion port truck driver, Paz was misclassified for years as an independent contractor but fought for, and won, the right to be recognized as an employee.

The professional driver, a husband and father to two young children, now works for Eco Flow Transportation and is in the process of negotiating his first union contract with the company and committee of co-workers.

Paz, who is based in Los Angeles, was selected among nominees from around the country to lend his voice to the summit. The event will focus on how workers can make their voices heard in the workplace, and energize a new generation of Americans to come together and recognize the potential power of their voice at work.

At the summit, Paz will be joined by Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa and International Vice President Rome Aloise, along with union leaders, workers and employers from around the country.

President Obama will deliver opening remarks and take part in a town hall at the summit.

The summit will be livestreamed starting at 10:30 a.m. EDT here: www.whitehouse.gov/live.

Stay tuned to this blog for an interview with Paz and more on the White House Summit on Worker Voice.