Press Releases

SB 915 Will Protect Good Jobs, Public Safety from Dangerous Autonomous Trucks and Cars

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – California Senate Bill 915 (SB 915), a Teamsters-supported bill that will allow the state’s local governments to regulate autonomous vehicles (AVs), passed overwhelmingly today in the State Senate Local Government Committee.

“The Teamsters commend the Senators on the Local Government Committee who supported this bill to protect public safety and good union jobs,” said Chris Griswold, Teamsters International Vice President At-Large and President of Teamsters Joint Council 42“Right now, local communities have zero control over the dangerous autonomous vehicles on their roads. SB 915 will help fix this broken system and keep our communities safe by giving municipalities a voice in the deployment of AVs.”

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TEAMSTERS, LABOR COALITION SECURE NEW SAN FRANCISCO REGULATIONS FOR WAREHOUSE DEVELOPMENT

(SAN FRANCISCO) – Teamsters, along with a coalition of local building trades, the Sierra Club, San Francisco Labor Council, and community groups, have secured a landmark policy requiring public review of any new warehouse proposal by e-commerce companies like Amazon in San Francisco. 

The first-of-its-kind policy is the most significant action taken by a U.S. city to address the rapid expansion of warehouses and last-mile delivery operations that have a direct and significant impact on jobs, air pollution, and traffic.

“San Francisco is a union town, and along with our coalition partners and the elected officials that stood with us, the leaders of Teamsters local unions in San Francisco led the way in passing this landmark legislation,” said Peter Finn, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. “Their work will make a real difference in ensuring companies like Amazon can’t profit from exploiting workers and our local communities.” 

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Elected Officials Join Forces with Teamsters Union for Good Jobs, Safe Streets

The Teamsters Union applauds the Oakland City Council for passing a resolution in support of Senate Bill 915 (SB 915), legislation that will allow California’s local governments to regulate autonomous vehicles (AVs). SB 915 has strong bipartisan support and is part of the CARS legislative package on autonomous vehicles that the Teamsters are advocating for in Sacramento to protect good jobs and public safety. The Los Angeles County and San Mateo County Boards of Supervisors passed resolutions in favor of SB 915 earlier this month, and a resolution has also been introduced in San Francisco.

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TEAMSTERS TO DMV: Too Little, Too Late

Step in the Right Direction Not a Substitute for Human Operators

(SAN FRANCISCO) – the following is a statement from Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 856, regarding the California Dept. of Motor Vehicles’ decision to suspend the autonomous vehicle company Cruise’s license to operate in the City of San Francisco. The announcement comes hours after the Teamsters and their allies held a rally to demand better regulation for driverless cars outside of the company’s headquarters.

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Teamsters and Allies Protest Unsafe Robotaxis at Cruise Headquarters 

Teamsters Stand Up for Safety, Call for an End to Driverless Car Havoc on San Francisco Streets 

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif – The Teamsters, labor leaders, public safety officials, and concerned citizens held a rally today outside of Cruise’s headquarters in San Francisco to highlight ongoing safety concerns with Cruise robotaxis. The rally occurred as Cruise’s parent company, General Motors, released its Q3 2023 earnings report, revealing that Cruise has cost the company $1.9 billion so far this year.

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Teamsters to Newsom: Start Working for Working People, Not Wall Street

Back-to-Back Anti-Labor Vetoes by California Governor Hurt Workers, Unions

SACRAMENTO – The Teamsters condemn the latest actions by California Gov. Gavin Newsom after he vetoed Senate Bill 799 over the weekend of Sept. 30. The legislation would have extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to union members who are on strike or being locked out by their employer.

The Governor’s Saturday veto represents the second pro-worker bill he has rejected in the past 15 days,

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Teamsters applaud CA Senate for passing autonomous vehicle bill, demand Gov. Newsom sign it

Teamster-supported legislation that would require a trained human operator in autonomous vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds overwhelmingly passed the California Senate today with strong bipartisan support. California Assembly Bill 316 (AB 316), first introduced in January by Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), and Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), received votes in favor from all but four state senators. It now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom. 

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Teamsters Condemn CPUC for Expansion of Robotaxis in San Francisco, Undemocratic Process Catering to Big Tech

“The CPUC’s ruling is irresponsible and shows a complete disregard for public safety. In addition to ignoring the City’s nearly 70 reported safety incidents involving robotaxis this past year, it has completely bypassed the recommendations of public safety officials, including the San Francisco Fire Chief and Police Officers Association. This undemocratic process caters to executives at Waymo and Cruise – not San Francisco residents.”

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Teamsters Slam Cruise CEO for Plan to Eliminate Human Operator Jobs

The Teamsters are condemning Kyle Vogt, CEO of autonomous vehicle (AV) company Cruise, for openly planning to displace drivers during an investor call last week. Vogt made the statement in response to a question from an analyst at an investment banking firm. The analyst asked about Cruise’s plans for expansion should a proposed policy change favoring the AV industry take effect in San Francisco.

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