Legislation is a Big Tech Handout with No Worker Protections

(WASHINGTON) – Teamsters were joined by members of Service Employees International Union 32BJ and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 in testifying at a hearing today to demand Washington, D.C. councilmembers oppose Bill 26-0684, the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Deployment Authorization Amendment Act. The legislation would allow fully driverless robotaxis, including those owned by Waymo, to operate in the District of Columbia.

“We’re calling on the city council to reject B26-0684 because the so-called ‘guardrails’ in this bill fail to protect workers, and this legislation doesn’t benefit anyone outside of Silicon Valley billionaires,” said Bill Davis, President of Teamsters Local 639. “It is yet another example of Big Tech companies trying to steamroll cities into changing laws to accommodate them, and it comes at the expense of middle-class professional drivers and anyone else who wants safer streets in our city.”

AVs remain unpopular with voters and legislation to legalize them has failed to pass in every state where it’s been introduced this year, including Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Washington, and neighboring Maryland and Virginia.

“Driverless cars would be a disaster for someone like me,” said Demani Petron-King, a member of Local 639. “This job is how I provide for my family, pay my bills, and have amazing health care. We can’t call driverless vehicles progress when they will hurt so many communities. The well-being of people like me should not be the price our society pays for innovation.”

Teamsters Local 639 has represented workers in a wide variety of industries throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia since 1934. For more information, go to teamsters639.com.

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