(The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following on April 30.)
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa issued the following statement today in response to the Bush administration’s announcement that it will allow the public to comment on its illegal pilot program authorizing unsafe Mexican trucks to operate freely in the United States beyond the border zone.
“No one should be reassured by the Bush administration’s temporary delay in opening our borders to unsafe Mexican trucks,” Hoffa said. “We will continue to fight this reckless pilot program. The driving public deserves a real commitment to safety from our government.
The Teamsters Union, The Sierra Club, Public Citizen and the Environmental Law Foundation filed a lawsuit last week in federal court to block the illegal pilot program. In response, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced her department would allow the public to comment on the program for 30 days. However, numerous safety and security issues remain.