TEAMSTERS CALL ON GOV. NEWSOM TO PUT SAFETY BEFORE BIG TECH BY SUPPORTING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE BILL AB 316

New Poll Shows Californians Overwhelmingly Side with Union Over Governor

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters are calling on California Governor Gavin Newsom to end his opposition to Assembly Bill 316 in response to new polling data, which shows nearly three-quarters of Californians support the legislation, and reports that three California state agencies sent letters to Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) opposing her bipartisan and Teamster-supported legislation. 

"By opposing AB 316, the Newsom administration is catering to Big Tech when it should be protecting good-paying jobs and keeping Californians safe from roadside tragedy," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "Our elected officials must stop selling out to Big Tech and Corporate America. The Teamsters will continue to fight with everything we have to ensure AB 316 becomes law in California to safeguard workers, families, and communities."

AB 316 is not a ban on self-driving trucks; rather, it protects good jobs and keeps roads safe by requiring a trained human operator behind the wheel of autonomous vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds. New polling released this week shows that self-driving trucks are overwhelmingly unpopular among California voters. At least 70 percent of respondents across party lines, gender, geography, and all other demographics support AB 316; only one in five voters polled said that they had a favorable view.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 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.

Contact:
Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877
mmcquaid@teamster.org 

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters