Local 171 President Delisa Brown meets with a Motorcoach Operator during voting for Local 171’s newest contract. 

Transport Workers Union Local 171, representing Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority workers, won significant raises and better benefits in a newly ratified four-year contract. TWU Local 171 members, including Motorcoach Operators, Mechanics, Customer Service Agents and more, will receive a 14.5% pay increase over the life of the contract, along with a $3,500 signing bonus.  

“Local 171 fought hard against attempts from management to erode longstanding benefits while winning significant pay increases in their latest contract,” TWU International Administrative Vice President Curtis Tate said. “We are happy to have ratified a new deal that will improve the lives of our members and their families.”  

TWU members in Ann Arbor, working for TheRide, were working without a contract since April. Management attempted to roll back existing family leave policies and increase the amount members are currently paying for their healthcare. Local 171 beat back both proposals, keeping in place current leave policies and healthcare for current workers.  

Longtime Local 171 President Delisa Brown received local news coverage for her fight against management attempts to decrease paid leave.  

“This contract is a big win for our families,” Brown said. “Management wanted to remove the family and medical leave language completely along with maternity leave language and replace it with parental leave. This would cover a mother after the baby was born but she would not have the protected maternity leave before giving birth to her child. I’m proud we were able to negotiate an agreement that benefits families while giving everyone a major pay boost.”  

Local 171 represents about 250 workers in Ann Arbor, who overwhelmingly voted in favor of the contract earlier this month. In addition to the pay increases, the deal includes a $500 per quarter perfect attendance bonus with an additional $500 for a year of perfect attendance, an increase in dental and orthodontic coverage, and time off benefits that are in excess of Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act.  

“By the end of the contract, a senior Motorcoach Operator who currently tops out at $33 per hour will make over $38 per hour,” Brown said. “That is a gamechanger for our membership and I’m proud of the work that everyone at our local put in to get these negotiations over the line.”  

This is the monthly edition of the Transport Workers Union’s Transportation Technology Newsletter. We aim to inform and educate our members, the labor movement, the public and policymakers about developments in transportation technology – and what the TWU is doing to ensure that new technology doesn’t undermine safety or harm the livelihoods of hard-working blue-collar workers. For suggestions and questions, please email ewytkind@gmail.com or adaugherty@twu.org.

ITEM OF THE MONTH

CHANGING TUNE: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who came into office as a Big Tech booster, recently backed a bill in Congress (also backed by the TWU) that would establish national safety standards for autonomous vehicles. Politico reports that Lurie backed the legislation after a spate of Waymo incidents in San Francisco, notably July 4th traffic jams caused by AVs and malfunctions caused by power outages. He also backed additional state legislation on AVs earlier this summer.

The bill, authored by Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish minimum safety standards and protocols for how operators work with local first responders. It would also require AV companies to provide standardized emergency response protocols and create a 24-hour hotline for public safety officials to communicate with AV companies when their vehicles cause incidents. And it would direct NHTSA to establish a pathway for public officials to issue notices that would digitally fence off certain areas for AVs during emergencies.

“For years, San Francisco has been a testing ground for autonomous vehicles – and the traveling public along with elected officials don’t like what they see,” said TWU Administrative Vice President Curtis Tate. “TWU members who help move San Francisco are dealing with AVs on the job every day, and in some cases being blocked or hindered by vehicles without a human on board. Companies like Waymo have used up their goodwill and politicians who once cheered them on are now trying to rein them in.”

NO ONE TO SAVE YOU: The San Francisco Chronicle reported on a harrowing incident in May where two criminals worked in tandem to attack a Waymo vehicle with a passenger inside. Sherman Watson was riding in a Waymo in the early morning hours of May 9 when a man in a hooded sweatshirt grabbed the front bumper of his Waymo, causing it to stop. Then a second assailant approached and the two began smashing the front windshield and windows. Waymo’s remote assistant called the police, but Watson said Waymo’s support team had no idea when law enforcement would arrive and declined to move the car potentially out of harm’s way, saying it was “obstructed.”

“That’s when I was like, ‘I’m gonna die,’” Watson told the Chronicle. He also called 911 and pleaded with the Waymo intercom voice. The police showed up 10 minutes later, after the assailants left minutes earlier.

“The lack of a human operator is a major safety issue,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “The Waymo passenger in San Francisco was a sitting duck, and no amount of ‘tech support’ is going to help someone escape a dangerous situation where they are locked inside a car that will not move.”

Incredibly, Watson, despite suffering cuts during the attack from shattered glass, wasn’t identified as the victim. The police report identified the Waymo vehicle as the victim and Watson as merely a witness to the crime. Watson has also, without success, tried to get video of the incident from Waymo turned over.

ISSUES ON THE EAST COAST: A new study from Hunter College says that robotaxis in New York City would result in more serious crashes than professional for-hire drivers and cause more congestion. The study argues that Waymo’s safety claims of being safer than the “average human driver” aren’t a good comparison because the for-hire drivers who stand to lose out when Waymos exist en masse are 14 times safer than the average human driver in NYC.

“There’s a mantra going around that autonomous vehicles are more than 90% safer than human driven cars. This report delves into the data and makes it clear: There is no solid evidence as of yet to make such a claim compared to the for-hire vehicles already serving this city,” said Sam Schwartz, founder of the Sam Schwartz Transportation Research Program. “We find that NYC taxi and Uber/Lyft drivers may in fact be safer per mile.”

And the study notes that while robotaxis in California spend the majority of their time on the road pulled over and parked while waiting for rides, such behavior in NYC would lead to more traffic and Waymos circling city stress endlessly (think of it as a much worse version of the Waymos in Atlanta that were using a suburban cul-de-sac as their idling area).

ACCESSIBLE? NO: NOTUS and WAMU report that disability advocates in Washington, DC are unhappy with Waymo’s lack of commitment to accessibility. During a hearing earlier this summer regarding potential AV deployment in Washington, DC Waymo said it cannot deploy vehicles that can accommodate wheelchairs.

“The autonomous vehicle industry, the operators…have used us as a talking point,” said CT Tyson, government affairs liaison for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. “They have not wanted to make a true, fully accessible vehicle.” Tyson noted that promises from private companies to provide accessible transportation have largely gone unfilled unless the government requires it.

“Big Tech companies have used riders with mobility limitations as a talking point, but just like with safety it is merely lip service,” Tate said. “These companies want to maximize profits by replacing rideshare drivers, yet they come nowhere close to the essential role of Bus Operators and Paratransit Drivers for riders with wheelchairs.”

WHAT ELSE IS COOKING 

AUTONOMOUS TRUCKING LAWSUIT: The California Teamsters are suing several state agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, arguing that Gov. Gavin Newsom improperly rolled out regulations that pave the way for self-driving large trucks on state roads. In April, state regulators adopted new rules for autonomous trucks that would eventually allow vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more to operate on public roads.

“The DMV irresponsibly, carelessly, and unlawfully kept the public in the dark about the true economic and human costs of the amended Autonomous Vehicle regulations,” said Julie Gutman Dickinson, an attorney with labor law firm Bush Gottlieb representing the Teamsters, in a statement. “The only way to protect the public’s right to properly scrutinize regulations that will transform transportation in California is for the Court to order the DMV to immediately rescind the illegally enacted regulations.”

TESLA ROBOTAXIS COME TO FLORIDA: As Tesla faces a federal probe into a tragic incident where a 76-year-old woman was killed in her home by a Tesla Model 3 apparently using the automated driving feature, the company nonetheless is expanding robotaxi service – this time into Florida cities including Miami where TWU members work at Miami-Dade Transit.

The expansion in Florida follows the launch of robotaxi service in Texas and California, in the wake of wildly optimistic predictions of expansion by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “I think we’ll probably have autonomous ride hailing in probably half the population of the U.S. by the end of [2025],” Musk boasted, after previously declaring that Tesla would “have over a million robotaxis on the road” that same year. There are about 50 Tesla robotaxis on US roads although that number is expected to rise as service expands.

Despite significant scrutiny of its now scrapped “Autopilot” feature in favor of a subscription program, set at $99 a month, Tesla will charge for access to its so-called “full self-driving” (FSD) technology. Musk tweeted early last year: “I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD).”

“On a daily basis these technologies are proving they are not ready to operate safely on our roads – we are seeing severe safety incidents such as robotaxis driving onto flooded roads, blocking transit buses, and speeding by school buses,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “And now we are going to permit carmakers and technology companies to claim it’s okay for drivers to sleep while they drive using this flawed technology? It’s time for federal regulators to step up and put a stop to this before more people get hurt or die.”

NO WHEEL TO TURN: At a time when Amazon’s Zoox and other robotaxi operators face mounting safety scrutiny as their vehicles go rogue such as failing to detect smoke and driving into a fire scene – Zoox has inexplicably secured federal clearance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to run robotaxis revenue service without human controls in its vehicles such as a steering wheel. Zoox also serves Las Vegas and San Francisco. Oddly, the same regulator that approved the federal exemption required for Zoox to operate, recently issued a warning to robotaxi companies to fix “a clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders.”

“It seems to us that NHTSA should not reward this flawed technology that it has called out as unsafe around emergency response scenes by giving out exemptions from federal safety requirements,” Tate said. “Federal and state regulators are allowing too much dangerous experimentation on our roads.”

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Waymo Eyes Expansion Into Pinellas County. Tampa Bay Times.

NFL Head Coach in Serious Accident Using Tesla Autopilot electrek

TWU International President John Samuelsen wrote the following column in the August edition of Eno Transportation

The Transport Workers Union of America’s 165,000 plus members work across the entire transportation sector. At transit agencies, airlines, railroads, bikeshare systems and elsewhere, TWU members see their jobs change drastically as new technology once again mushrooms across all modes of transportation. This is not a new phenomenon. Every few decades the next wave of innovation shifts how we move, but each successive wave of technology has reinforced the central role humans play to make our transportation systems safe and efficient. 

Tech companies, along with their associated boards, investors, and cheerleaders, have claimed that this latest round of automation is unique. These voices, who often stand to make billions on automated transport, argue that current rules and regulations are unable to account for their new technologies. Instead, they argue for as little regulation as possible, asserting that rules developed decades ago cannot possibly encompass their latest technology. These same advocates will also claim that the consequences of unregulated deployment, job losses and a reduction in safety, are somehow unavoidable and a necessary cost of innovation. We should collectively reject that line of thinking just as we did when these same arguments were made regarding commercial jet engines (first produced in the United States in 1958), autonomous subways (1963), and any number of other “cutting edge” technology from the previous century.  

In reality, the philosophical cornerstones of our transportation oversight regime were designed specifically to address automation and new technology. The most critical safety component of every vehicle is a qualified human to oversee the system and intervene, as necessary, to keep it running without incident. 

A tour through some of the newest transportation innovations emphasizes the core role that qualified humans should be performing at all times. Robotaxis are designed to stop and query a human when the onboard computer doesn’t understand a situation (a circumstance that is happening constantly for these vehicles and that deserves more scrutiny from policymakers). Railroads are using brake inspection portals, equipped with dozens of cameras, to feed data to qualified mechanical inspectors to determine where those humans need to spend their time fixing problems.  In these cases and hundreds of others like them, the presence of a qualified human, or lack thereof, is making the difference between a safe outcome and a reckless one. These examples show policymakers and the traveling public that automation without human input and control across the transportation sector is unworkable and unsafe.  

Eliminating human control of our transportation systems inevitably leads to disaster. In 2018 and 2019, an automated system onboard the new Boeing 737-MAX aircraft (the “maneuvering characteristics augmentation system,” or MCAS) repeatedly overruled commands from its pilots based on false sensor data – data the pilots visually confirmed was wrong. Two plane crashes at Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines led to 346 deaths. Pilots in the U.S. faced identical problems in their automated aircraft systems. However, proper training and federal requirements allowed them to simply turn off the malfunctioning system. In public transit, the National Transportation Safety Board attributed a 2009 crash of Washington, DC’s Red Line train – which killed 9 people and injured 52 others – to an automated system because it didn’t detect another train on the tracks ahead of it and kept the second train moving at full speed. The operator of the Red Line train tried to use the brake to prevent the impending collision caused by the automated system, but the system’s failures prevented the human operator from stopping the train. 

Today, workers are facing attempts, large and small, to introduce automation in all our sectors. Many of these initiatives have strong support from the frontline workforce who are subject to the same safety threats as the traveling public. But unlike technology such as LiDAR systems designed to prevent collisions that augments and assists human workers, Big Tech boosters are pushing technology designed to eliminate the need for a qualified human worker — and they often argue a “need” for a federal waiver or exemption. That should give us all pause. Autonomous shuttles, aircraft inspections completed by drones without a licensed mechanic’s sign-off, AI-rail car inspections, and other naked attempts to use federal exemptions to decrease labor costs will not increase safety.  These kinds of corporate giveaways have potentially different outcomes for the human workers on the job but they all share the same underlying assumption: that employers can, at their sole discretion, determine the appropriate safety measures for people in and around their vehicles. We all lose when our safety is left solely to a profit-driven entity. 

It is essential that human workers have the ability to oversee, override, and control new technology precisely because safety depends on redundancy. Broadly speaking, our transportation safety systems rest on an agreement between safety regulators, the owners of the infrastructure, and the frontline workers who operate and maintain it. All three have a mandate to run a safe system, but each group has different responsibilities. Eliminating human oversight would destroy the checks and balances inherent to this system and deny regulators the first-hand experience in these systems needed to judge safety proposals. When an aircraft maintenance technician clears a plane to return to service, they know they can lose their livelihood if they behave recklessly. That is a very different sense of responsibility than their employer has towards the same piece of equipment. Our transportation networks become less safe without the oversight of human workers.  

The TWU doesn’t fear technological developments in the transportation sector that could change the day-to-day nature of many of our members’ jobs. Technology that enhances safety, provides additional data, and helps to avoid collisions are welcome developments. But technology is not a substitute for human judgement and control.

Transport Workers Union of America Local 527 held a press conference on Thursday to highlight months of inaction from MV-Transit over a substandard contract proposal.

TWU Local 527 members, including Fixed Route & Paratransit Bus Operators, Rural Bus Operators, Mechanics, Utility Workers, Customer Service Clerks, and Parts Clerks working for MV-Transit at Augusta Transit are prepared to go on strike at any time.

“MV Transit is a behemoth worth billions of dollars trying to argue they can’t afford to raise the pay of a starting Bus Operator from $17 per hour to $21 per hour – that’s absurd,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “The TWU is ready to throw the entire weight of the International Union and our 165,000 members behind Local 527 in their ongoing fight with MV Transit.”

TWU Local 527 and MV Transit have engaged in two dozen bargaining sessions since November of 2025 for a contract that expired on January 31, 2026. On July 19, Local 527 members in Augusta rejected management’s proposed contract and voted to authorize a strike. MV Transit was awarded a contract for the operation and maintenance of Augusta’s public transit system beginning in 2026, taking over from the previous operator.

“It is the Union’s position that MV Transit’s proposal does not adequately address some of the issues that plagued Augusta Transit’s system prior to the award of the contract to MV-Transit such as training, employee retention, safety, bathroom breaks, hours, adequate staffing levels, scheduling of paratransit and extra board work, compensation, and morale,” said TWU Local 527 President Benyoel T. Morgan.

Significant issues remain unresolved, including wages, benefits, attendance policies, safety policies, vacation, and staffing concerns.

For wages, TWU Local 527 is seeking a guaranteed 40-hour work week, increased pay for Bus Operators certified as Behind the Wheel Trainers, and a starting pay rate of $21.70 per hour with three percent raises throughout the length of the contract. MV Transit is countering with a paltry 28 cent per hour pay increase from the current $17.48 per hour starting wage. MV Transit has also declined to pay workers when they are not allowed to work during major weather events, like when Hurricane Helene shut down service in 2024. The TWU is asking for up to 40 hours of pay per calendar year to compensate workers who lose their shifts through no fault of their own.

The TWU is also seeking improvements to medical, dental, and vision cost sharing, sick leave, and vacation that have been rejected by management.

“It is long past time for management to step up and seriously bargain with us on a contract that improves the lives of our members while improving transit service in Augusta,” Morgan said. “Our members have felt the pain of being without a contract for months and we are prepared to exercise our right to strike if management isn’t serious about working on a good contract.”

The Transport Workers Union of America has successfully organized all Aircraft Fuelers at Orlando International Airport, as Fuelers and GSE Mechanics with Menzies were voluntarily recognized to join TWU Local 504. The TWU is the largest airport workers union in the country and the largest union on property at Orlando International Airport.

“The TWU continues its tireless organizing work of airline workers nationwide,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “A year ago, we organized PrimeFlight Fuelers in Orlando and swiftly negotiated that extremely important first contract that locked in a 15 percent pay raise, vacation pay, and guaranteed sick time. We now look forward to doing the same with Menzies.”

Menzies and PrimeFlight are contractors that conduct fueling operations for major airlines in Orlando. Menzies chose to voluntarily recognize the Fuelers after almost all of the group signed cards announcing their intention to organize. The TWU also represents Menzies Fuelers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

“We are proud to welcome our newest members of TWU Local 504 as we continue to expand our membership with various aviation contractors across the country,” said Local 504 President Robert Payne. “We are already hard at work to negotiate a first contract that will significantly improve the lives of Fuelers in Orlando and their families.”

This is the monthly edition of the Transport Workers Union’s Transportation Technology Newsletter. We aim to inform and educate our members, the labor movement, the public and policymakers about developments in transportation technology – and what the TWU is doing to ensure that new technology doesn’t undermine safety or harm the livelihoods of hard-working blue-collar workers. For suggestions and questions, please email ewytkind@gmail.com or adaugherty@twu.org.

ITEM OF THE MONTH

CLEAN IT UP: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a recent letter they have “documented a clear pattern of driverless AVs interfering with law enforcement and other first responders.” NHTSA referenced specific examples, many highlighted by the TWU, of autonomous vehicles driving into active emergency scenes, blocking ambulances and firefighters, and failing to recognize safety alerts such as flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire, and traffic cones.

NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison issued a call to action in the letter urging AV companies to immediately clean up their operations or get off the road.

“To state it bluntly: an AV that cannot safely interact with first responders is a danger to the general public,” Morrison wrote. “Every second matters when law enforcement officers, firefighters, or paramedics are answering a call because lives are on the line. That is why human drivers who impede these operations are subject to fines and even jail time. So, when an AV disrupts first responders or impedes an emergency vehicle, it ceases to be a minor software anomaly. The technology driving alongside them must support their efforts and get out of the way, not disrupt their life saving mission or compound the dangers they face.”

Days after NHTSA issued their letter, Zoox recalled its fleet of 105 robotaxis after they determined they could not detect heavy smoke, potentially impeding emergency personnel, Reuters reports. The company admitted on June 20 an unoccupied Zoox vehicle encountered heavy smoke at an active emergency scene and entered the scene instead of leaving.

“We have raised the alarm for years on the constant dangers of robotaxis performing actions that would cause human drivers to face heavy fines or even potential jail time,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “NHTSA’s letter is a strong warning to Big Tech that public roads are not laboratories and if their technology can’t get out of the way for first responders, it doesn’t belong on our streets.”

Even notable supporters of AVs like San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie are changing their tune. Lurie asked regulators in California to bolster rules after Waymo vehicles caused widespread gridlock on July 4, TechCrunch reports. The vehicles ran out of power, blocked streets, and trapped transit vehicles. Lurie proposed that autonomous vehicle companies must be required to immediately remove or relocate robotaxis from active travel lanes, share real-time operations data with local agencies, know the locations of immobile robotaxis with a plan to recover them, and demonstrate through testing they can handle large influxes of people and traffic.

“What happened in San Francisco earlier this month is unacceptable,” TWU Administrative Vice President Curtis Tate said. “Waymos essentially turned San Francisco’s Fourth of July celebration into a nightmare for the traveling public. When even pro-robotaxi politicians are sounding the alarm, it should be a wakeup call for everyone that their deployment nationwide would be a disaster.”

BABY YOU’RE A FIREWORK: And in the midst of the July 4th gridlock, a Waymo car with passengers inside was filmed traveling over a lit firework. Rose Peterson, who was in the Waymo, told NBC News the car “didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate, it just literally went on like nothing happened.” A second unoccupied Waymo vehicle in San Francisco caught fire after driving over a firework – and the company responded with the corporate-speak of saying they are “evaluating and learning” from the incidents.

WHAT ELSE IS COOKING

VERTIPORTS COMING? They take off and land like a helicopter and fly like a plane and now New York City plans to build the vertiport infrastructure needed to launch electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVOTL) flying taxis by the end of the year, Smart Cities Dive reports. The vertiports will be modified versions of existing heliports in the city.

Two emerging air taxi operators, Joby and Archer, are gearing up for 2026-2027 launches in states approved by the Federal Aviation Administration including New York and New Jersey. Joby showed off its new air taxi aircraft in April in flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and heliports at West 30th Street and East 34th Street, claiming “7 minute” trips from the city to the airport. Archer announced it will partner with BETA Technologies and Macquarie Capital to launch ACES, America’s Consortium for Electric Skyways, to “electrify up to 250 air taxi sites” at the nation’s largest airports and metro areas over the next decade.

TOYOTA, JOBY JOIN UP: Toyota is throwing its weight behind Joby’s planned entry into the air taxi market with a joint venture to build Joby’s S4 Series electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVOTL) aircraft. Toyota, which Wall Street values at $261 billion, will hold a 51 percent interest in the new venture in what is now its ninth year as a Joby investor. Major airline and aerospace companies are betting big on the eVOTL market. Joby has secured equity investments from Delta Air Lines; United is an Archer and Eve investor; Vertical Aerospace enjoys equity backing from American, Virgin Atlantic and Japan Airlines, and Boeing has invested heavily in Wisk Aero.

DC UNIONS OPPOSE WAYMO: A group of labor unions testified against a Washington, DC Council bill that would allow robotaxis to operate in the city. Waymo is currently testing vehicles on DC roads with human drivers. Unions representing rideshare workers noted that take-home pay for drivers in cities where robotaxis currently operate has dropped, along with trips per hour.

The DC bill is also a proxy war between Waymo and Uber. Uber opposes the bill, arguing it hands Waymo a near-monopoly over driverless operations in DC. It isn’t clear yet if the bill will move forward before Mayor Muriel Bowser departs office. DC Councilmember Janesse Lewis George, who almost assuredly will be the next mayor, said during her campaign that DC is “not ready” for Waymo.

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Waymo’s Newest Robotaxi is Chinese-made, Built to Make Money, and Now Accepting Riders. TechCrunch.

Volkswagen Has Entered the Robotaxi Race. Business Insider.

Robotaxis are Turning Passengers Into Horrible and Entitled Menaces to Society. Futurism.

Remote Supervisors Can Oversee Three Autonomous Aircraft at a Time, Wisk Study Concludes. Aerospace America.

Waymo car caught driving in wrong lane amid World Cup traffic in LA. ABC 7.

This is the monthly edition of the Transport Workers Union’s Transportation Technology Newsletter. We aim to inform and educate our members, the labor movement, the public and policymakers about developments in transportation technology – and what the TWU is doing to ensure that new technology doesn’t undermine safety or harm the livelihoods of hard-working blue-collar workers. For suggestions and questions, please email ewytkind@gmail.com or adaugherty@twu.org.

ITEM OF THE MONTH

BIG IN JAPAN: Humanoid, robot baggage handlers are undergoing a trial run at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, according to the Guardian and CNBC, with the Chinese-made robots performing baggage handling and cabin cleaning duties. The publications note that Japan Airlines, which operates flights to and from the United States, is facing labor pressure from an aging domestic workforce. But the robots are currently unable to perform many tasks on the job that require dexterity.

Marc Einstein, research director from Counterpoint Research, said the programming and reasoning skills in the humanoid robots are lacking and “they’re just not very smart yet.” The TWU, which represents Ramp Workers at Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and more, strongly opposes any attempts in the U.S. to outsource human labor to robots.

“The bosses at every airline will be watching closely what happens in Japan to see how they can cut jobs. But the TWU will fight any attempt to replace skilled workers with foreign-made, insufficient robot technology,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “Just like we see with driverless cars, the technology might be able to perform basic job functions but fails epically when tasked with the challenging, real world situations TWU Ramp Workers face everyday at airports across the country.”

The World Economic Forum, in a recent blog post, described robot hand dexterity as the “last mile of robotic automation.” The WEF writes “Dexterity – the fine, contact-rich manipulation people perform without conscious thought – is the part of physical work machines still struggle with most. It is, precisely, the last mile of automation. Close it, and physical AI becomes economically transformative; leave it open, and humanoids remain impressive demonstrations rather than dependable workers.”

“It is clear that robots cannot replace human judgement, whether that’s split second decisions made on the ramp or while driving a bus in traffic,” said TWU Administrative Vice President Curtis Tate. “We will not stand aside as companies try to slash labor costs with robots that are not ready for the intense working environments transport workers face.”

WHAT ELSE IS COOKING

UBER ROBOTAXIS IN HOUSTON: Uber robotaxis are coming to Houston in mid-2027, Electrek reports, with riders using the company’s app to hail rides through the autonomous driving company Nuro. The company is currently testing vehicles on Houston’s roads, where TWU Local 260 represents workers at the Houston METRO bus and light rail system.

“Uber and Nuro see Houston as their test laboratory for autonomous transit,” Tate said. “It’s clear that cities around Texas where autonomous vehicles operate are faced with significant headaches, like Waymo robotaxis driving past stopped school buses in Austin. Houston, and TWU members who keep the city moving, will be worse off with autonomous vehicles using the city as a testing ground.”

Uber and Nuro, with vehicles built by Lucid, are attempting to expand rapidly. The company recently launched operations in the San Francisco Bay area and are planning to put 35,000 autonomous SUVs in dozens of markets in the coming years.

WAYMO OBSTACLES: The New York Times reports that Waymo is facing significant headways to operate in three of the country’s largest markets: New York, Chicago, and Washington DC. The Times reports that organized labor, including the TWU, has emerged as “some of Waymo’s most vocal opponents. And Waymo’s attempts to court those unions have had little success.”

A proposal from Waymo to create a fund for displaced workers in Illinois went nowhere in the state legislature. Janesse Lewis George, who is almost certain to be Washington DC’s next mayor, has publicly stated that the nation’s capital is “not ready” for Waymo. And the TWU was significantly involved in efforts to defeat a proposal from Gov. Kathy Hochul to expand the use of autonomous vehicles in New York State while working closely with New York Mayor Zorhan Mamdani to end the small-scale testing of autonomous vehicles on NYC streets that began under former mayor Eric Adams.

“The TWU and working people across the country are taking a stand – and winning,” Samuelsen said. “Autonomous vehicles were unleashed in the Bay Area and across much of the Sun Belt with little regard for how they would affect safety, workers, and the traveling public. What is happening in New York and other major cities across the country is a testament to the power of workers standing together to demand better instead of bowing to the wishes of Big Tech billionaires.”

GET OFF THE HIGHWAY: Waymo recalled its fleet of robotaxis to restrict them from driving on highways, TechCrunch reports, because of issues with how the vehicles behave around construction zones. The company identified at least 13 instances of Waymos driving into highway sections that were closed for construction. Six incidents happened in Phoenix and seven happened in the Bay Area.

This is the latest in a series of embarrassing recalls for Waymo. In May, Waymo service was suspended in Atlanta because the vehicles drove into flooded roads. A previous recall was issued after Waymos drove around stopped school buses while children were entering and exiting. And previous recalls have been issued for Waymos colliding with chains, gates, and telephone poles. And a Waymo user recently posted on LinkedIn that a robotaxi had deliberately locked seatbelts and he was forced to leave the vehicle.

“If a human driver did all of the things that Waymos have done on our roads in recent months they would have lost their license a long time ago,” Tate said. “Any politician or local government being courted by Waymo to unleash their vehicles on public roads only needs to spend five minutes reading about their serious safety issues to conclude that the traveling public shouldn’t be put in danger for job-killing tech that isn’t ready for primetime.”

SWEDEN BUS FAIL: Sweden’s premature launch of full-size Turkish-made autonomous buses on its roads had a crash landing, literally. On the day the service was inaugurated with actual passengers onboard, May 25, the 52-passenger driverless bus was rear-ended by a tram as the vehicle was abruptly braking, a common problem with this flawed technology.

“The Transport Workers Union has warned for years that this technology isn’t ready to unleash on our roads,” Tate said. “As we are seeing in the robotaxi sector, these so-called driverless vehicles crash, speed by parked school buses, drive into active crime scenes, and get confused by construction zones. It is time for government officials to stop this dangerous experimentation with passengers.”

This incident reignites a global debate about whether driverless vehicles of any size are able to navigate congested urban driving conditions at a time when robotaxis are causing chaos, constantly managing recalls, and exposing travelers to elevated safety risks on a daily basis.

PEPSI DEPLOYS DRIVERLESS TRUCKS: Gatik autonomous trucks will traverse Pepsi’s North American supply chain, according to a multi-year partnership announced this month by the beverage giant. Pepsi has deployed Gatik driverless trucks since 2022, with 41 rigs on the roads without an operator onboard in Texas, Arizona and Arkansas.

Pepsi boasts that it operates the largest deployment of fully autonomous delivery trucks in the United States, investing $600 million in the effort.

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Driverless Trucks Take Good Jobs Away From Americans. Wall Street Journal Opinion.

Use of Autonomous Wheelchairs Grows at Airports. Alaska News Source.

Volkswagen’s MOIA, Beep Push Autonomous Vehicles in Public Transit. Beep.

Trapped in a Haywire Waymo: SF Passenger Recounts Terrifying Construction Zone Ordeal. ABC7 San Francisco.

Transport Workers Union Local 1 members who maintain and operate the Akron-Metro bus system voted 269 to 1 today to authorize a strike.

The vote empowers Local 1 leaders to call a service-halting strike at the date and time of their choosing. The workers’ contract with Akron-Metro expired on June 1, 2024. Negotiations and an arbitrator’s recommendation have failed to bring the two sides together.

“Akron Metro CEO Dawn Distler and Board President Mark Derrig have treated us with the utmost contempt and disrespect,” Local 1 President Wayne Cole said. “We haven’t had a raise in more than three years. They want to increase our out-of-pocket healthcare costs by $2,000 a year. And they don’t think Juneteenth is important enough to make it a holiday. Enough is enough. We’re not taking it anymore.”

Another sticking point angering workers: CEO Distler received annual raises and bonuses totaling more than $70,000 while workers have received no increases during the ongoing affordability crisis with rising inflation.

Cole also questioned how Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, who appoints half of the Akron Metro board, has not made settling the contract dispute a top priority.

“He has an opportunity to stand up for blue-collar Akron, or side with the two-faced Akron bosses who talk a good game but really don’t give a damn about transit workers,” Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen said.

Local 1 represents more than 300 Bus Operators, Vehicle Service Workers, and Clerical Workers.

“The Transport Workers Union of America has Local 1’s back, and we will continue to do whatever we can to help secure a fair contract,” Samuelsen said. “Whatever is needed, we will provide, whether that’s more resources, more union boots on the ground, more public outreach explaining just how terrible Akron Metro management has been, or anything else, we’re going to deliver.”

Local 1 is required to give 10 days’ notice prior to starting a strike. Negotiations are expected to resume tomorrow.