Initiatives
Summary of Initiatives and Achievements
The activism and advocacy work of the REAL Women in Trucking (RWIT) organization on behalf of commercial drivers has been constant since the driver led movement was formed in as an informal protest group in 2010. By 2013, when RWIT received their IRS Determination letter for 501 (c)(6) trade association status, they had already been leading the way to raise the alarm on major safety issues related to truck driver training in regards to commercial driver’s license programs, gender-based violence and harassment in entry-level driver fleets and had become an active outspoken partner in the Jason’s Law Safe Truck Parking movement effected a bill to become a law and the subsequentFederal Highway Administration Trucking Parking Coalition WorkingGroups at which, RWIT was the only driver association to have anexperienced truck driver at each and every meeting.
Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
Real Women in Trucking appreciates the opportunity to comment in support of the Department of Labor’s (Department) Proposed Rule on Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 87 Fed. Reg. 62218 (Oct. 13, 2022) (to be codified at 29 CFR pts. 780, 788, 795). The Proposed Rule would rescind a rule promulgated in 2021 (the 2021 Rule) and replace it with the traditional six-factor test to assess the economic reality of a worker’s classification.
Facebook Algorithm Bias Complaint
December 1, 2022, Real Women in Trucking, a non-profit that advocates for women truck drivers, filed a class action charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Meta Platforms, alleging that Meta routinely discriminates against women and older people when deciding which users receive employers’ job ads on Facebook. The group also alleges that Meta is still allowing employers to exclude all older workers from being eligible to receive their job ads, a practice Meta agreed to end as part of a 2019 civil right settlement.
Immediate Solutions to Address Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in Trucking
Sexual assault/Sexual harassment (SASH) in trucking is a very specific issue that primarily affects new entrants to the industry and individuals from non-dominant groups who are vulnerable such as LGBTQIA+. Gender Based Violence and Harassment (GBVH) is intolerable in any work setting, this includes trucking.
RWIT President Desiree Wood was the 1st person to create a presentation to outline some of the specifics of this issue as it relates to safety in the trucking industry.
Paying Today and Tomorrow: Charting the Financial Costs of Workplace Sexual Harassment
TIME’S UP Foundation and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research have released a new report, “Paying Today and Tomorrow: Charting the Financial Costs of Workplace Sexual Harassment.” This report is the first-ever attempt to quantify the lifetime financial cost of sexual harassment to individual women. REAL Women in Trucking participated in this study to offer insight into areas of concern related to the trucking industry. You can download the PDF report below.