NBC San Diego on Teamster Protest
When the mainstream media presents anything that has to do with labor - they will often talk about what is or is not better for the consumer — which is mentioned in this news package as well. What is interesting, at best, is that the reporter; who did an excellent job here, failed to get the truth told to her about the safety issues all CONSUMERS will be facing with this dangerous Mexican trucking program. When she talked with the gentleman from the FMCSA, she was told that these trucks are inspected and are held to the same, if not better, standards as American trucks. Unfortunately, this is a lie.

There are at least seven laws that this program breaks. In August 2007, the FMCSA acknowledged that there are differences between U.S. and Mexican safety laws. Among that list of differences is a piece about hours of safety. In a separate blog entry Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa wrote,

“Congress recognized a decade ago that Mexican trucking safety standards are far below those in the U.S. The Mexican government and businesses have since failed to raise safety standards.As a result, problems have persisted: Mexico-based drivers can be forced to remain on the road for many, many hours, although fatigue is a major cause of highway accidents; the safety-inspection system is rickety; and there are loopholes for drug- and alcohol-testing wide enough to drive a truck through.

To read all of Mr. Hoffa’s entry, which originally appeared in the Arizona Republic, please click here

In the end, it is great to see mainstream media picking up a story of national concern, it would just be fantastic if the sources did not continue to lie to the reporters and ultimately the American public.