(The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following news release on June 7.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Supreme Court today set back efforts by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union and its allies to keep unsafe, unregulated Mexican trucks off our nation’s highways. By overturning a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, this opinion clears the path for the Bush Administration to allow Mexican trucks to travel throughout the United States.
“By allowing the Bush Administration to move forward with its plan to open the border, this decision represents a setback for all who advocate for safe roads, clean air, and a secure America,” said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. “The Administration’s ongoing push to open the border not only demonstrates a gross disregard for highway safety and the environment—it belies the President’s continued disregard for the health and welfare of Latino families living in the border region.”
According to the procedures spelled out in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the President has the authority to permit Mexican carriers to operate throughout the United States without having to meet the same standards as domestic carriers with regard to truck safety, driver training and certification, pollution controls, and hazardous materials transport. Since the passage of NAFTA in 1993, the Teamsters Union has fought to keep the border closed until the establishment of uniform standards throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
In 2001, President Bush announced his intention to lift the moratorium on Mexican truck operations in the U.S., regardless of the safety implications, once new regulations were prepared for granting operating authority to Mexican motor carriers. Before the moratorium was lifted, the Teamsters Union joined with allied organizations in a lawsuit to halt the President’s actions. The suit contended that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), upon issuing its new regulations, failed to conduct a review of the environmental impact of increased truck traffic in the U.S. The Teamsters Union won that suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, but the Supreme Court overturned that ruling.
The Supreme Court’s ruling was based solely on the FMCSA’s obligation to comply with the President’s announcement. The Court, however, failed to consider the fact that the FMCSA still could have complied with the announcement after an environmental review was conducted. Instead, the Supreme Court decided to ignore the environmental health of welfare of U.S. citizens, including millions of Mexican American families living in the border region, who will be impacted the most by this decision.
“The ruling also raises security concerns. Without the proper security measures and adequate staffing at the Mexican border— which still do not exist ten years after the passage of NAFTA—the relevant agencies possess the ability to properly inspect only the smallest fraction of trucks that will be entering the United States every day,” Hoffa added. “In light of the ongoing terror threat, this glaring security deficiency should concern every U.S. citizen.”
“For all these reasons—highway safety, the environment, and homeland security—we again call on President Bush to keep the border closed, thereby putting the interests of average citizens above those of multi-national corporations.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout North America.