MONDAY (2/12): Teamsters, California Elected Officials to Reintroduce Autonomous Vehicle Human Operator Bill

Teamsters Building on Last Year's Widespread Bipartisan Support for AV Safety Legislation

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- To protect public safety and good jobs, the Teamsters and California lawmakers will announce the reintroduction of the autonomous vehicle (AV) human operator bill at a rally on Monday, February 12, at 2pm PT. AB 2286, formerly Assembly Bill 316, requires a trained human operator behind the wheel of self-driving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds, putting safety first while preserving hundreds of thousands of good-paying trucking jobs. AB 316 was first introduced by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) in January 2023 and received overwhelming bipartisan support in the legislature, with more than 90 percent of the California lawmakers voting in favor of the legislation.

Since Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 316 in September 2023, robotaxis have wreaked havoc on California streets, with one Cruise robotaxi running over a pedestrian and dragging her 20 feet in San Francisco. In the wake of this safety incident, the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Cruise, while San Francisco has brought a lawsuit against the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for allowing for the expansion of robotaxis in the city.

Monday's rally is the latest escalation by the Teamsters to keep unsafe autonomous vehicles off our streets, protect good-paying union jobs, and ensure local communities have a say in AV deployment. Earlier this month, the Teamsters held a rally to announce the introduction of SB 915, a bill that would give California's local municipalities more authority over AV regulation. The growing statewide support for AV safety measures comes as Waymo seeks to expand its robotaxi operations in California.

***Please See Below for Details on the 2/12 Rally***

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Media Contact: Sean Nesmith, (678) 467-4306, [email protected]
On the Ground Contacts: Trish Suzuki-Blinstrub, (650) 452-3109, [email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters