Monday, April 30, 2007

Teamsters Say Border Must Remain Closed to Unsafe Mexican Trucks

Official Statement By Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa

WASHINGTON, April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/-- Teamsters General
President Jim Hoffa issued the following statement today in response to the
Bush administration's announcement that it will allow the public to comment
on its illegal pilot program authorizing unsafe Mexican trucks to operate
freely in the United States beyond the border zone.
"No one should be reassured by the Bush administration's temporary
delay in opening our borders to unsafe Mexican trucks," Hoffa said. "We
will continue to fight this reckless pilot program. The driving public
deserves a real commitment to safety from our government."
The Teamsters Union, The Sierra Club, Public Citizen and the
Environmental Law Foundation filed a lawsuit last week in federal court to
block the illegal pilot program. In response, Transportation Secretary Mary
Peters announced her department would allow the public to comment on the
program for 30 days. However, numerous safety and security issues remain.