US teamsters expand lawsuit against Mexican trucks

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/us-teamsters-expand-lawsuit-against-mexican-trucks-221027155.html

AP – 5 hrs ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has expanded its lawsuit against the government in a long-running battle that has stopped Mexican trucks from coming deep into the United States.

In papers filed in federal appeals court in Washington on Wednesday, the union says the government must first assess the environmental impact of a pilot project before letting it continue. The first Mexican truck in the pilot program crossed the border last month.

Teamsters President James P. Hoffa says opening the border to the trucks is an attack on the environment, on highway safety and on American truckers and warehouse workers.

"It's outrageous enough that we've outsourced millions of jobs to foreign countries, but now we're bringing foreign workers here to take our jobs," Hoffa said in a statement. "This is another pressure the American middle-class doesn't need."

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement signed nearly two decades ago, trucks from both countries were supposed to have unhindered access to highways on either side of the border.

The Mexican ambassador to the U.S., Arturo Sarukhan, said the teamsters were engaging in protectionism.

"First it was about the safety of the Mexican rigs, no with nowhere to run with that argument, the new red herring is an alleged environmental impact," he said in a statement.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

You mean that the US government is going to allow Mexican trucks to bring in truckloads of illegals legally? #######?

[Robby999 1,024]

Obama Signs Deal to Allow Mexican Truckers Onto U.S. Highways

Submitted by Robert Oak on Wed, 07/06/2011 - 21:55

• drug money
• illegal immigration
• Labor
• Mexico
• NAFTA
• tariffs
• Teamsters

In yet another blow to U.S. workers, the Obama administration has signed a deal for Mexican truckers to operate inside the United States.

The news headlines all sing hallelujah over some soon to be disappearing punitive tariffs Mexico put on 99 U.S. products simply because we wouldn't let Mexican truckers, instead of American ones, on U.S. highways. There is no mention in the major press of the cost to American workers, the increased illegal drugs entering the country, the illegal immigrants being smuggled into the U.S., and the wages and jobs lost. Nor is there anything mentioned about border security in the press, or even challenging Mexico for being in violation of NAFTA by their attempts to subvert U.S. labor law in the first place.

The teamsters have been fighting this tooth and nail and just came out swinging. Mexican truckers have lax safety standards and much lower wages, yet will be allowed to work in the United States, by driving on American roads, displacing U.S. truckers.

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today castigated the U.S. Department of Transportation for agreeing to open the border to long-haul Mexican trucks. Opening the border endangers America's highway safety, border security and warehouse and trucking jobs.

Hoffa said the program is probably illegal because it grants permanent operating authority to Mexican trucks after 18 months in the so-called "pilot program" outlined in the proposed rule published in the Federal Register.

Congress has not granted DOT the legal authority to do so, Hoffa said. Further, DOT would use money from the Highway Trust Fund to pay for electronic on-board recorders for Mexican trucks. Hoffa questioned whether DOT can do that legally.

"Opening the border to dangerous trucks at a time of high unemployment and rampant drug violence is a shameful abandonment of the DOT's duty to protect American citizens from harm and to spend American tax dollars responsibly," Hoffa said.

"This so-called pilot program is a concession to multinational corporations that send jobs to Mexico. It erodes our national security. It endangers motorists. It ignores the

rampant corruption among Mexican law enforcement

. It

lowers wages and robs jobs

from hard-working American truck drivers and warehouse workers.

"It adds insult to injury to force U.S. taxpayers to pay for monitoring equipment on Mexican trucks so Mexican carriers can take away their jobs," Hoffa said. "The DOT shows more loyalty to the Mexican people than it does to Americans."

Here we go, more illegal aliens, more drug wars, violence and more lost jobs. The teamsters really came out slamming. One can also imagine what Teamsters are thinking now considering they worked very hard to get Obama elected.

Since 2007, violence has worsened as drug cartels compete for trade routes to the U.S. More than 40,000 people have been killed, and kidnapping and torture are rampant.

Further, a Homeland Security incident report from Oct. 15, 2010 indicates that drug traffickers have hijacked and cloned legitimate trucks to transport illicit cargo across the border. According to the document, criminals hijacked over 10,000 commercial trucks in 2010 in Mexico.

Hoffa said DOT cannot guarantee the safety of Mexican trucks.

"Mexican trucks simply don't meet the same standards as U.S. trucks," he said. "Medical and physical standards for Mexican trucking firms are lower than for U.S. companies. And how can Mexico enforce highway safety laws when it can't even control drug cartels?

"The Bush-era pilot program was a failure that shouldn't be repeated," Hoffa said.

The U.S. government spent $500 million on the pilot program, which began in September 2007. Only about three Mexican trucks per day traveled beyond the border zone until the program was shut down, according to the Transportation Department's office of inspector general. The inspector general also reported that "FMCSA does not have assurance that it has checked every Mexican truck and driver … when they cross into the border in the United States."

Of course challenging Mexico's illegal tariffs never seemed to cross the mind of the Obama administration. Remember all of that 2008 election brew ha-ha about reforming NAFTA? A very sad day for the U.S. worker as well as national security.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

The Teamsters will fight this in court and on the road. I see a lot of Mexican trucks getting flat tires. As usual the unions have taken the lead in protecting jobs in the US. People can say what they want, but non union workers are about as useful as t*ts on a nun when it comes to setting the bar in regards to wages and worker safety.

[MyLittlePony 340]

They took er jobs.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

If Canadian truckers can drive in Alaska, then the Mexican truckers can drive in the lower 48. The Teamsters are more worried about UPS than they are about over the road truckers. The Teamsters were never worried about hazardous driving conditions before, just making sure Hoffa and his buddies got their cut come contract time. Like father, like son.

[Leatherneck 693]

Where was J.P. Hoffa recently when his buddy Obama decided to put off allowing the Keystone Pipieline to move forward?

Obama had a choice between jobs and environmentalist, he sided with the enviros. Where were you then Jimmy?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

If Canadian truckers can drive in Alaska, then the Mexican truckers can drive in the lower 48. The Teamsters are more worried about UPS than they are about over the road truckers. The Teamsters were never worried about hazardous driving conditions before, just making sure Hoffa and his buddies got their cut come contract time. Like father, like son.

Canadian outfits pay a livable wage and their trucks are up to par. That and US truckers driving in Canada don't have to worry about getting their heads cut off by Canadian drug cartel members.

As far as Hoffa goes, he's got some spine to him and they like him here on the west coast. You can thank the Teamsters for taking care of those Mexican trucks unlike the non union drivers who do nothing in regards to Mexican truck drivers.

[SuperDuper! 230]

You mean that the US government is going to allow Mexican trucks to bring in truckloads of illegals legally? #######?

It's about time you chimed in here again. What, you too cool for school? #######?