Our Local was at the State Capitol on September 19th raising our voice for safe highways in California. We were joined by fellow Teamsters, including our General President, Sean O’Brien, as well as labor, community and elected official supporters calling on the governor to sign AB 316, which would prevent tech giants from using California’s transportation infrastructure for unregulated testing of autonomous (driverless) delivery trucks.
The authors of AB 316 wanted to ensure that regulations for driverless tractor trailer and logistic vehicles remain in place. The bill mandates autonomous vehicle safety drivers in the event that something goes wrong on the road.
To be clear, these driverless trucks are slated to share highways, streets and roads in our communities. Our families and loved ones will find themselves alongside these vehicles very soon, while testing and experimentation of this technology continues.
AB 316 passed both chambers in the State Capitol, Assembly and State Senate.
The votes for approval were as close to unanimous as can be achieved in the current political environment. Support was 95% bipartisan, with both Democrats and Republicans sponsoring and voting in favor of this legislation.
This vote did not come out of a vacuum. Politicians up and down California supported AB 316. Polls showed that 75% of voters want strict regulations on driverless vehicles.
With Teamsters, labor and community groups moving ahead with AB 316, Big Tech swung in to capture our states’ highway infrastructure for themselves.
The result on September 22, 2023, three days after our march on the Capitol steps: The governor vetoed AB 316.
Innumerable media reports continue to show the secretive nature of Big Tech’s push for driverless vehicles, large and small.
Big Tech refuses to share data concerning safety and accidents on the road. At the same time Californians hear about ambulances, firefighting equipment and other emergency responders being blocked by driverless Big Tech vehicles.
Big Tech should not and will not have the last word on transportation safety in our communities.
44 years ago in California, a governor’s veto attempted to deny a wage increase for workers that passed both the Assembly and State Senate. By a two-thirds vote, both chambers united to reverse that veto.
1979 was the last time a governor’s veto was overturned in California. In standing up for workers and our communities, perhaps the time to overturn another bad decision has arrived. We will be calling on all elected officials throughout the State of California in the coming weeks and making it clear that we are drawing a line in the sand. They are either with us or against us. Either way, we are keeping receipts!!!
