On August 4, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters,
through her designated fall guy Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator
John Hill, announced the Transportation Department’s intent to illegally
extend the unsafe Mexican cross-border pilot program for an additional two
years.
More >>
On August 4, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters,
through her designated fall guy Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator
John Hill, announced the Transportation Department’s intent to illegally
extend the unsafe Mexican cross-border pilot program for an additional two
years.
More >>
(Washington, D.C.) – Teamsters General President Jim
Hoffa commended the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today
for approving a bill to stop the Bush administration’s reckless pilot
program allowing unsafe trucks from Mexico to travel freely throughout the
United States.
More >>
(Washington, D.C.) – Teamsters General President Jim
Hoffa commended the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday for
approving an amendment to ban any and all programs to open the border to
long-haul trucks from Mexico.
More >>
(Washington, D.C.) – The Teamsters Union on Thursday
hailed the Texas Department of Transportation’s decision to upgrade U.S.
Highway 59 instead of building a new transportation corridor through the
countryside.
More >>
(Washington, D.C.) –
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on May 14 urged Congress to ignore
trucking industry lobbyists who want to let dangerous large trucks on our
highways.
More >>
(Washington, D.C.) –Teamsters General President Jim
Hoffa applauded the National Conference of State Legislatures for rejecting
a resolution of support for the Colombia FTA.
More >>
(Washington, D.C.) –Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on Tuesday said the
leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States are mistaken in their defense of
NAFTA.
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(Washington, D.C.)
–Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on Monday said President George Bush is out of touch with American workers when he says a trade deal with Colombia would be good for them.
More >>
(Washington, D.C.)
–Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on Thursday commended House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi for blocking a vote on the proposed trade deal with Colombia.
More >>
(Pittsburgh, PA) – Bad
trade deals have cost thousands of Pennsylvanians their jobs as more and
more companies have moved their businesses out of the United States,
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said Thursday.
More >>
(Reading, PA)
– During a three-day Working Class
Convoy for Change tour through
Pennsylvania, Teamsters General President
Jim Hoffa on Wednesday said the Hershey
plant move to Mexico shows how trade deals
like NAFTA harm American workers. Hoffa also
discussed how Sen. Barack Obama could be
instrumental in reversing this devastating
trend.
More >>
Teamsters:
Peters' Testimony on Mexican Trucks Was
Frightening
Teamsters: Inspector General Report on Mexican Trucks 'An Indictment'
Hoffa Blasts Bush Administration's Indifference to NAFTA Harm
Teamsters Await Ruling on Legality of Cross-Border Trucking
View photos from
the February 12 rally
Teamsters Launch Major Campaign to Fire U.S. Transportation Secretary
The Teamsters recently
launched a nationwide grassroots campaign to fire Transportation Secretary
Mary Peters for unlawfully opening the border to unsafe trucks from Mexico.
Visit www.firemarypeters.com to
find out how you can help end this travesty.
Congress Piles on Mary Peters
Transportation
Secretary Mary Peters today was told point blank by three members of
Congress to close the border to trucks from Mexico.
How Did U.S. Inspectors "Miss" Mexican Trucks Safety Violations?
The Teamsters Union
demands to know why U.S. inspectors opened the border to a Mexican truck
company with an abysmal safety record.
Teamsters Warn Congress: Be Aware of Mary Peters' Defiance
Teamsters General
President Jim Hoffa said that members of Congress should be aware that
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is spending federal funds in defiance
of a budget law passed last year.
Hoffa Leads
Teamster Rally Against Cross-Border Trucking
| |
Fiery Crash on Border, 4 Killed, Mexican Trucks Involved
CNN reports
that two tractor-trailer
trucks crashed and burst into flames
Thursday on a bridge between the United
States and Mexico, shutting a key border
crossing and killing four people, police
said.
(Running time - :48)
34 Killed, 150 Injured in Mexico Dynamite Truck Explosion
CNN reports
a truck, carrying 25 tons of
dynamite, kills dozens of people and injures more than 150 in a fiery explosion
after colliding with another vehicle in northern Mexico.
(Running time - :35)
Hoffa Wants Mexican Trucks Off U.S. Roads
In this Fox News video report, General
President Hoffa speaks out in Houston about the Teamsters' quest to stop the
Bush administration from allowing unsafe Mexican trucks unto U.S. highways.
(Running time - 2:02)
Teamsters
Protest at the Border as U.S. Highways Open to Mexican Trucks
On September 6, hundreds of Teamsters
protested the Bush administration’s opening of U.S. highways to Mexican trucks
at border crossings in San Diego and Laredo, Texas. The union says they’re
unsafe.
(Running time - 1:06)
Teamsters
Seek to Halt Trucking From Mexico
The Teamsters Union asks a federal appeals
court to put the brakes on a pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks to
travel deep into the U.S, as reported August 30 on NPR's Morning Edition.
(Running time - 1:40)
Lou Dobbs Exposes the Dangers of Mexican Trucks
General President Jim Hoffa is featured in this February 23 segment of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight. (Running time - 3:52)
Hoffa Takes on Wall St. Journal on CNBC
General President Jim Hoffa goes head to head with a Wall Street Journal editor on the issue of cross-border trucking. (Running time - 5:50)
CNN's Glenn Beck Interviews Hoffa on Mexican Trucking
CNN conservative Glenn Beck interviews General President Jim Hoffa on the harm Mexican trucks would drive into the United States. (Running time - 7:32)
VIDEO
Hoffa Urges Senate to
Stop Unsafe Mexican Trucks
General President Jim Hoffa tells a Senate subcommittee that he is alarmed over
the Bush administration's rush to open American highways to overworked,
underpaid and unchecked Mexican truck drivers.
Watch the testimony
Helen Glover, WHJJ 920
General President Jim Hoffa and Rhode Island talk radio host Helen Glover discuss the dangers of giving Mexican trucks carte blanche access to American roads.
AirTalk, KPCC 89.3
General President Jim Hoffa joins NPR talk radio host Larry Mantle and other guests discuss the costs associated with this program.
KFAQ Mornings with Gwen Freeman and Chris Medlock, Tulsa, Okla.
(Real Audio)
Teamster spokesman Galen Munroe exposes the fatal flaws in the Bush Adminstration's Mexican truck pilot program.
Voice of America
(Real Audio)
Teamsters spokesman Galen Munroe voices the safety and hours-of-services lapses in the DOT's pilot program.
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TAKE ACTION
Tell
Congress: Hold Mary Peters in Contempt
Transportation
Secretary Mary Peters is the latest member of the Bush administration to
break the law: She is opening our border to unsafe Mexican trucks despite a
law passed overwhelmingly by Congress that forbids her from implementing the
reckless pilot program. The law was enacted with bipartisan support and
signed by President Bush. Contact your legislators today. Tell them to fire
Mary Peters and put an end to this criminal act.
COMMENTARY BY GENERAL PRESIDENT HOFFA
Reckless Disregard
Even as he heads toward the exit,
George Bush is sabotaging the safety of American working families. His
transportation secretary, Mary Peters, announced Monday that the border will
be kept open to dangerous Mexican trucks for two more years.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Sen. Biden Speak Out Against
Mexican Truck Pilot Program
"The Department of Transportation’s own Inspector General has said that
allowing Mexican trucks onto our roads poses serious safety concerns,"
Biden said.
Sen. Obama Opposes
the Government's Providing Access to Unsafe Mexican Trucks
"I am opposed to the Bush administration decision to allow cross-border trucking
into the interior of the United States. There simply remain too many safety and
environmental concerns," Obama said.
Sen.
Edwards Says Opening U.S. Roads to Mexican Trucks Risks American Jobs, Safety
"Our trade policies should put workers and families first. Opening America's
highways to Mexico's long-haul diesel trucks puts American jobs and safety at
risk. The Department of Transportation has the power to block the program. I
urge them to use it," Edwards said.
Rep. Kucinich Denounces Opening of NAFTA Superhighway
"I support the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Sierra Club, and
Public Citizen in their legal challenge opposing this latest travesty in a
'free trade' policy that has wiped out millions of American jobs and now
poses an even further threat to Americans' safety and security," Kucinich
said.
Sen. Clinton Calls DOT Program 'Troubling'
"The Administration's decision to move forward with this pilot program ... once again exhibits a disregard for the laws and the safety of our nation."
Kansas Rep. Boyda Supports the Union's Efforts to Stop Unsafe Mexican Trucks
"Congress has been crystal clear in our opposition to the administration's cross-border pilot program. Twice now, we've passed bills that restrict commercial traffic from Mexico until the Department of Transportation meets high standards of safety and accountability," Boyda said.
Ohio Sen. Brown Supports Teamsters' Efforts to Stop Unsafe Mexican Trucks
"Whether it's product safety, food safety, or road safety, you can count on the Bush Administration to compromise it," Brown said.
California Rep. Filner Supports Teamsters on Stopping Unsafe Trucks
"I do not believe that President Bush has any sense for the real impact of this policy in the border region. Mexico simply does not have appropriate background checks for drivers, licensing requirements, or safety inspections for trucks," Filner said.
North Carolina Rep. Jones Supports Teamsters on Stopping Unsafe Trucks
Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-NC) denounces the start of the U.S. Department of Transportation's plans to allow Mexican trucks unlimited access to U.S. highways.
Oberstar, DeFazio Question DOT Decision on Mexican Trucks
"It is impossible to know how many hours or days a driver has been behind the wheel of a truck in Mexico, without rest, prior to crossing the border and entering our highways. Anecdotal evidence from news reports suggests that working hours for truck drivers in Mexico go far beyond anyone's estimate of a safe, reasonable limit," Oberstar said.
Sen. Murray Calls Hearing on Cross-Border Trucking
"My subcommittee will hold a hearing on March 8th to investigate whether the Administration has fulfilled both the spirit and the letter of the law."
BLOG WATCH: ADD YOUR COMMENTS
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Hoffa Blasts Plan to Open Border to Unsafe Mexican Trucks
"They are playing of game of Russian Roulette on America's highways. Mexico refuses to meet their end of the bargain yet President Bush rewards them with open access to American highways. It is the American driving public who will pay the consequences."
SPECIAL REPORT
The NAFTA Trucker: Holding the Line
Investigative Reporter Charles Bowden goes to Mexico to interview drivers about the exploitation and dangers they face on the road everyday south of the border.
SPECIAL REPORT
The NAFTA Trucker
Charles Bowden's original 1999 report revealed that Mexico lacked any kind of safety inspection, that fewer than 10 percent of trucks were inspected at the border and crossing points lacked efficient scanning technology.
RESOLVED
Teamster Delegates Stand Strong Against Cross-Border Trucking
Delegates to the Teamsters 27th International Convention committed the union to continuing the fight to keep dangerous Mexican trucks off U.S. roads until they meet the same stringent federal safety requirements as required in the United States.
