Teamsters Fight Waymo in Chicago
Following Waymo's announcement that it will begin mapping Chicago's streets, Illinois Teamsters are demanding state lawmakers oppose the expansion of driverless cars and trucks. The union is highlighting a new front in the battle between autonomous vehicle companies and organized labor.
The legislative battleground for autonomous vehicles in Illinois is heating up with bills like HB4663 and SB3392, which propose creating pilot programs for self-driving cars in several counties, including Cook County. These bills, supported by Waymo, would establish a three-year trial period, after which the Illinois Department of Transportation could authorize statewide operation if the programs are deemed safe and successful. State Representative Kam Buckner, a sponsor of one of the bills, has emphasized the need for a "thoughtful framework that balances innovation with safety, accountability, [and] labor protections." At the heart of the conflict are the livelihoods of professional drivers. The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington metropolitan area is home to approximately 53,560 commercial truck drivers, representing the third-highest concentration in the U.S. Before the pandemic, around 71,000 rideshare drivers operated in Chicago. The Teamsters argue that the introduction of autonomous technology poses a direct threat to these middle-class jobs. Waymo's entry into Chicago begins with a multi-month "mapping" phase, where manually driven vehicles equipped with sensors collect data on road geometry, traffic signals, and curb heights with centimeter-level precision. About 10 of these vehicles are currently creating high-definition maps of an area stretching from the South Loop to Wrigleyville. This data is then used in large-scale simulations to train the AI on local driving behaviors and challenging scenarios, like navigating around snowbanks or dense city congestion, before any fully driverless operations begin. The Teamsters are leveraging public safety concerns, pointing to incidents in other cities. In San Francisco, for example, Waymo vehicles reportedly caused traffic jams and blocked emergency responders during a power outage. A poll released by ABATE of Illinois and the Teamsters found that after hearing about potential safety issues, 54% of surveyed Cook County residents were unfavorable towards driverless taxis. The union is pushing for regulations that would allow cities to restrict AV operations based on safety problems. Waymo counters safety concerns with extensive data from its operations in ten other U.S. cities. The company states its vehicles have been involved in 10 times fewer crashes involving serious injuries compared to human drivers over 127 million fully autonomous miles driven. Waymo also argues its technology can enhance transportation accessibility and road safety. This conflict is not unique to Chicago. The Teamsters have organized similar opposition in other states, including California and Nevada, advocating for legislation that would require a human operator in commercial autonomous vehicles. These campaigns highlight a consistent national strategy by the union to pump the brakes on a technology they view as a threat to both public safety and the jobs of their members.
