From Name

From Email

To Name

To Email

Message

How a little-known 1980 law slashed pay for millions of truck drivers and created big-box retail as we know it

from Business Insider

How a little-known 1980 law slashed pay for millions of truck drivers and created big-box retail as we know it Business Insider When Larry Heine was a working man he drove a truck eight hours a day. He saw his family every night, owned his home, sent both his kids to college, and took his wife on vacation to Hawaii whenever he could land some overtime. As a member of the Teamsters, Heine was guaranteed good health care and a pension. He retired at 51, receiving a cake and a $250 gift card to a fishing store on his last day. In 2020, truck drivers work a median of 60 hours a week, according to a 2010 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. At the same time, their pay has sunk. In the late 1970s, driver salaries were up to 50% higher than they are today, even when accounting for inflation. READ MORE

more