Plug In IE, a project of the Inland Empire Labor Institute, and the Inland Empire Labor and Community Center and Center for Social Innovation of the University of California, Riverside, will launch The State of Work: Transportation, Distribution and Logistics in the Inland Empire on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, noon, at the Teamsters Local 1932 Training Center in downtown San Bernardino.
The State of Work: Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics in the Inland Empire offers a comprehensive exploration of the transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL) sector in Southern California's Inland Empire.
Despite recent size decline, the TDL sector has shown rapid expansion over the last five years, particularly in warehousing and transportation, significantly impacting the employment landscape of the region.
The report delves into the various challenges and opportunities presented by the TDL sector. It examines the geographic spread of warehouse developments and their community and environmental ramifications, highlighting the complex balance between economic growth and maintaining quality of life.
A key focus of the report is detailed occupational and industry analyses, underpinned by both quantitative and qualitative research. Interviews with warehouse workers and truck drivers offer a closer look at the realities of working conditions in the sector.
Data analyses reveal disparities in wages, job security, and working conditions, particularly for blue-collar occupations. The report also probes the implications of technological advancements, such as automation and electrification, in the TDL sector.
The report concludes with a call for informed policymaking and strategic, community-based planning to address the multifaceted impacts of the TDL sector.
"The transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL) sector is one of the top employing industries in our region, and one that has contributed to air pollution and low-wage, unsafe, and insecure jobs. Our report documents these problems, the impacts of increasing workplace automation, and discusses potential strategies—for workers, community members, workforce developers, and policymakers—to promote greater equity and environmental sustainability in the TDL sector and in our regional economy more generally."
The Inland Empire Labor Institute (IELI) is the 501(c)(3) wing of the Inland Empire Labor Council, the region’s AFL-CIO affiliate. The State of Work: Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics in the Inland Empire was coordinated by Plug In IE, an IELI High Road Training Partnership funded by the California Workforce Development Board. UC Riverside’s Inland Empire Labor and Community Center and Center for Social Innovation staff provided research for the report.
Copies of the report will be available at the release event and online. The February 28 event will feature research findings from the report’s authors along with a panel discussion featuring key members of the Inland Empire’s labor community.
The event is open to the public. Space is limited; registration is required via https://TDL2024-IE.eventbrite.