Posted on 12/19/2007 9:43:01 PM PST by flattorney
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 --Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today praised Congress for banning funds for the Bush administration's reckless pilot program to let trucks from Mexico travel freely on U.S. highways. The ban was part of the omnibus spending bill that Congress passed Wednesday.
The Teamsters opposed the pilot project from the start because of real concerns that trucks from Mexico aren't safe. "Congress just made driving safer in the United States by ensuring that dangerous trucks from Mexico aren't lurching along our highways like unguided missiles," Hoffa said. "We expect the Bush administration to obey the law and put a stop to this dangerous program as soon as it is signed into law."
Hoffa said the Teamsters have nothing against Mexican truck drivers, just the companies that exploit them. "Just ask any Teamster who drives in the Southwest," Hoffa said. "This is about safety." "The Teamsters won't quit our fight to stop the Bush administration's reckless program," Hoffa said. "We will continue our lawsuit to prevent the program from starting up again." The Teamsters Union is suing to block the program in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The case is expected to be heard in February.
Some trucks from Mexico have been allowed to travel beyond the narrow border zone since earlier this year under the Bush administration's unsafe pilot program. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hard-working men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Posted for FlAttorney by TAB
I’m OK with this.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2007 - PRNewswire-USNewswire: -- The Bush administration's reinstated hours-of-service rule meets the economic needs of the trucking industry but not the health and safety needs of truck drivers, a Teamster official told the Senate surface transportation subcommittee on Wednesday. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an interim final rule last week. The rule, which was twice thrown out by the court, allows truck drivers to work as many as 84 hours a week. "The FMCSA is more concerned about the economic viability of the trucking industry than about the safety and health of the drivers in this rulemaking," said LaMont Byrd, Teamsters director of safety and health. The rule is almost identical to the industry's 2003 proposal, Byrd said. Byrd said the FMCSA cherry-picked from studies supporting its position that an 11-hour driving limit did not result in more fatal crashes than the previous limit of 10 hours.
The Teamsters reviewed the information provided by FMCSA and found that it does not support the agency's claim. Byrd said FMCSA acknowledged in the past that the risk of a crash doubles from the 8th hour to the 9th hour of driving, and doubles again from the 10th to the 11th hour. "The Bush administration doesn't care if unsafe Mexican trucks or exhausted truck drivers endanger everyone traveling on our highways," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. "The Bush administration could have objectively reviewed the scientific literature," Hoffa said. "It could have conducted studies to answer any open questions. It could have talked to truck drivers and safety advocates and other highway users. But it did none of those things. "All the Bush administration did was ask the trucking industry for marching orders," Hoffa said.
Background - - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) first promulgated the hours-of-service rule increasing the number of hours truckers can drive in 2003. The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down the rule in 2004, but Congress reinstated it as part of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004. FMCSA issued a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in January 2005, proposing a rule that was little changed from the 2003 rule that had been struck down. On July 24, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for the second time threw out the rule that increased driving time to 11 hours from 10 hours and allowed drivers to go back to work after being off duty for only 34 hours. In the 39-page opinion, Judge Merrick Garland called the rule "arbitrary and capricious." The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was a party in the case, joining Public Citizen and the Owner-Operator Independent Driver's Association. The deadline for the court's July decision to go into effect was Sept. 14. But legal challenges pushed that deadline back. FMCSA issued the interim final rule on Dec. 11.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada. <> Website: http://www.teamster.org/
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Mexican Carriers with Authority to operate in U.S. - Updated Daily
Posted for FlAttorney by TAB
Thanks for posting this, a silver lining to a omnibus spending bill that had more earmark projects than ever..
Hoffa and the Teamsters against Mex/USA trucking, but many other unions begging for more illegals.
What does that mean? Who/what is TAB?
Never thought I would agree with the teamsters... but I guess it is winter in Hell too
Kinda funny how the Teamsters (thugs) bought this publication time on PR Newswire who then bought the space in the Sun Herald to publish it.
It’s nothing more than an advertisement disguised as a news story. And yet the Sun Herald did nothing to indicate as such. It just printed it like it was a mouthpiece for the Teamsters.
If you all want to hoorah the Thugs on this, fine. At least bitch that the NAFTA signs they’re carrying was signed by their King, BJ Clinton and that it was NAFTA that directed the US to let Mexican trucks in. Something that Clinton so artfully dodged for years (now there is no surprise).
Spktyr says: But Clinton was the one that signed the treaty and set up the program that started this...
Point of Order: FlAttorney replies: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was proposed, developed, and negotiated under the George H.W. Bush Presidency in 1991 with considerable backing by corporate special interest groups. It was also the George H.W. Bush Presidency that masterminded the worthless North American Union (NAU) which is basic to NAFTA. The Canada (Prime Minister Brian Mulroney), United States (President George H. W. Bush), and Mexico (President Carlos Salinas de Gortari) signed NAFTA in October 1992, [in a major 30+ minute signing ceremony], subject to the Countries ratification by their Legislatures. Let us also remember that H.W. Bush disliked Domestic Policy and it was his dismal performance that allowed Wild Bill to get elected to the throne in November 1992. Don't you remember all the Ross Perot speeches, charts, and his NAFTA "giant sucking sound" phrase during the 1992 Presidential Election debates between Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush and Perot’s television infomercials? Ross wasn’t attacking Clinton he was attacking H.W. Bush. And don’t forget, in the primaries, Pat Buchanan arguing that the H.W. Bush’s NAFTA would cost thousands of U.S. workers their jobs, when he challenged Bush for the 1992 Republican Party nomination.
However, yes, NAFTA was priority passed in November 1993 by a Democratic controlled U.S. Congress and signed into law by Bill Clinton on January 1994. But, to this day George H. W. Bush is the “Godfather” of NATFA and NAU and he is very proud of this fact. And, he is very proud of all the major money it has earned for the “Papa Bush Cartel” - based in my home town of Houston, Texas where I’m still well wired in the GOP inner-circle. Further, let us remember that it has been President George W. Bush that has been trying to fast-track NAFTA implementation to please his “Papa”. I also know for a hard fact that both Bill Clinton and H.W. Bush have had several “major alliance” conversations this year regarding NAU and NAFTA. They are both solidly behind NAU-NAFTA and further global corporate expansion, without regard to what it is doing to our great Country. To quote Gordon Gekko, "It's all about the bucks, the rest is conversation".
Net-net what I’m saying is that NAFTA and NAU is a very serious Federal bipartisan political problem that the majority of the American public does not want. It’s a major threat to our great Country on numerous levels including National, Regional and Local security.
MORE from my FlAttorney's FR "Straight Talk" page
President “Tough on Terrorism & Illegal Drugs” George W. Bush and his lackey Administration are major NAFTA and Mexican Truck Pilot Program supporters. It nothing more than "corporate bag-boy" garbage that dates back to when Bush was Governor of Texas. FYI, the current GOP Texas Governor, Rick Perry, and his GOP Administration are also major NAFTA supporters for the same "corporate bag-boy" – major corporate cash under the table – reasons. (Note: George W. Bush and Perry have/had many of the same Texas major money backers and players). The facts are no one what’s Mexican trucks to have open access to our highways and roads. U.S. Customs and Border Security do not; the majority of the public do not; the American truckers do not; and even the Mexican truckers do not want it. The only people that want it is the Bush Administration, Mexican drugs and human smugglers, and terrorists, in no particular order. By the Department of Homeland Security’s own studies, Mexico is a major entry point to the U.S. for terrorists as reflected on their map *HERE*
Corporate bag boy Bush and his lackey Administration are going down on this deal just like he did on the Dubai Ports World deal that my law firm was part of a major fight here in Miami as it related to our Port. I/we are sick and tired of Federal politicians doing whatever the hell they want after "we the public" elect them. Thank the Lord that Duncan Hunter is in our corner on all the NAFTA/Border Security - Bush garbage and also Fred Thompson is and will be when he is elected President … and hopefully Duncan will be Vice President.
AND call me a $20 whore, but I don’t care what side of the aisle a politician or group stands if they will provide major assistance in winning my/our fights. Sorry, the days of straight party ticket alliance died in the ‘60’s.
NOTE: I’m two-bits rattling all this off the top of my head while shoving down some breakfast. Please ignore the typos etc, and feel free to correct any misstatements or errors. Thanks, FlA
Teamsters and FReeppers on the same page! Cats and dogs sleeping together. The World turned upside down!
Anyway, thanks for all your great posts and have a fantastic Christmas and New Year Holiday! - FlA
p.s. If you have interest, my 1st & 2nd quarter 2008 racing schedule is posted in the Racing section on my FlAttorney's FR "Straight Talk" page. The nice thing about the Daytona races are that they are business tax deductable along with the airfair for the Spring Nationals Houston trip, *lol*.
*LOL*... As I stated, call me a $20 whore but I don’t care what side of the aisle a politician or group stands if they will provide major assistance in winning my/our fights. However, the Teamsters are on their own re their fight in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. I don’t believe they have a prayer in that ultra liberal venue.
I would hardly call implementation of parts of this “treaty” still happening 13years later “fast track”.
And as far as Clinton’s involvement in this I’m giving credit where credit is due. Time after time we see the left coming after the president for them most inane crap that we have to remind people to give credit where credit is due. And to give Clinton a free ride on FR is just beyond the pale.
Straight party ticket voting to you may be over but as far as I’m concerned the Democrat Party is nothing more than crime syndicate that far surpasses your anything your “corporate bag boy” has done. I can count on one hand the number of Democrat or liberal organization I have faith in to do right by this country and none are going to appear on my ballot anytime soon.
Meanwhile the trucking unions were supporting it loud and clear..and I thought, what the heck were they thinking...couldn't’t these people see what that damned NAFTA would do down the road to our country, our citizens??
Thanks for you thoughts. You and your family have a fantastic Christmas & New Year Holidays! - FlA
“Never thought I would agree with the teamsters...”
Ditto.
But. I think that Unions have a definite, and logical market.
The Trucking Industry is one.
I don’t think we should do away with unions.
I think we should only do away with ones that of no good.
This is probably true. But it still doesn't change the fact that Clinton screwed over the Teamsters by signing it. And with all the revisionist history out there we need to point out the truth when we can.
I realize your Hoffa anti-cross border trucking post is old, but I ran across this clip and it’s just TOO fitting:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sp...t-2/1130755542
Yep – it’s all about “safety.” Who is going to protect Americans against overpaid American Teamster slugs at UPS, I wonder… LOL.
I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it – I’ll take my chances with the illiterate, untrained, can’t-speak-English Mexican drivers over Teamster thugs/slugs EVERY day. IMO, of course.
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