LOS ANGELES—The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced Jan. 19 that Southern California port and rail truck drivers, including those who operate at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, have filed for an election to form a union. The drivers allege that XPO Logistics—a freight transportation company based in Greenwich, Connecticut—misclassifies them as independent contractors, denying them health insurance, paid sick leave, overtime pay, and the ability to form a union. Last year, XPO Logistics settled two class-action lawsuits, paying a total of $30 million, to contracted drivers at the ports who said they were paid less than a minimum wage by the company. XPO Logistics told City News Service that it has about 12,000 full- time truck drivers in the United States, and uses about 360 independent contractors in California. The company also said many of its contractors “prefer the contractor work model, given the flexibility it provides …