In response to news that General Motors (GM) will halt funding for its Autonomous Vehicle (AV) subsidiary Cruise, Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and President of Teamsters Joint Council 7, released the following statement:

“With its decision to cut funding for Cruise AV development, GM is finally acknowledging what the general public already knows: robotaxis are not safe. This has been blindingly obvious ever since Cruise robotaxis ran over pedestrians, blocked first responders from doing their jobs, nearly collided with a seven-year-old boy, and caused traffic pile-ups on multiple occasions.

“Unfortunately, autonomous vehicles developed by companies like Waymo and Zoox continue to put pedestrians in harm’s way across California and in other states nationwide. These companies aren’t just threatening public safety, they’re threatening the livelihoods of tens of millions of Americans who turn a key for a living. The news about GM and Cruise should be a reminder to agencies like the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the destruction these vehicles can cause. These agencies need to protect our roads and the American middle class by doing a far better job of enforcing existing AV regulations and implementing new ones wherever needed.

“The Teamsters will continue to demand real accountability from transportation regulatory agencies and the greedy tech companies that seek to control them so we can protect good jobs and keep our streets safe.”

Teamsters Joint Council 7 represents 100,000 members in 18 local unions across Northern California, the Central Valley, Northern Nevada.