(The International Brotherhood of Teamsters circulated the following news release on September 22.)
WASHINGTON — President Bush’s plan to open U.S. roadways to unsafe foreign trucks was set back today when 141 Republicans joined 197 Democrats and one Independent in voting for an amendment to the FY 2005 Transportation Appropriations Bill (HR 5025) offered by Representative John Olver (D-MA). The Olver Amendment would require that foreign trucking companies operating in the U.S. meet the same safety, certification and labeling standards as domestic carriers.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa commended the bipartisan coalition for supporting the Olver Amendment. “By rebuking President Bush’s efforts to allow unsafe and uncertified foreign trucks to operate in the United States, an overwhelming majority of House members used their votes to take a stand for working families, highway safety and common sense,” Hoffa said. “Just as he’s created two Americas with his economic policies, President Bush seeks to create two safety regimes for trucking companies operating in the U.S. — one for foreign carriers and one for domestic carriers.”
The Olver Amendment would uniformly enforce U.S. safety laws by preventing the Department of Transportation from granting a two-year waiver to Mexican and Canadian trucks and buses that don’t meet U.S. safety standards, thereby requiring that all carriers operating in the U.S. play by the same rules. The Teamsters now take their fight for highway safety to the Senate, where the Transportation Appropriations Bill will be considered next. President Bush has threatened to veto the entire bill if it arrives at his desk with the Olver amendment intact.
“President Bush can menacingly wave his veto pen all he wants, but the Teamsters will not let up in our fight to protect America’s families from unsafe foreign trucks,” Hoffa said. “On this issue, he’s not only ignoring the safety of the traveling public, he’s ignoring the vast majority of his fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives. I urge him to follow their lead, as well as his ‘compassionate conservative’ rhetoric, and support the Olver Amendment.”