More than 350 truckers who haul in and out of Miami ’s ports and rail yards have quit their company contracts and joined the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, according to the Miami Herald.

The union set up a job placement center in Miami , which opened Saturday, Sept. 17.

The Teamsters require members to work for union companies only, so drivers wanting to join had to resign and cancel contracts with their current employers. The theory is that they would get re-hired by companies that have also signed up at the union center.

However, the Herald reported that only three companies had registered at the hall as of Monday, Sept. 19. That means many of the drivers may be unemployed for weeks or even months.

Truck driver Sandro Lerro told the Herald it’s a chance he’s willing to take if it means better wages, health insurance and other benefits down the road.

“It’s not our choice,” he said. “It’s the companies’ choice. We want better wages, but even before that we want dignity and respect.”

For their part, the Teamsters officials said they are hopeful more truckers will join as time goes on, creating a shortage of non-union truckers and forcing companies to hire unionized ones.

This is the latest in a long series of moves by truckers at the ports to improve conditions there. Earlier this year, the Port of Miami dropped a lawsuit that had stemmed from a 2004 strike protesting long hours and poor service at the ports.

And in July, the Teamsters organized a convoy of truckers from the port to protest the lack of fuel surcharges handed down to the drivers. The 639-truck convoy brought traffic to a near standstill on the Florida Turnpike near Miami .