Teamsters Confront Waymo Over Robotaxi Chaos

The December 20th power outage in San Francisco, caused by a fire at a PG&E substation, led to a significant failure for Waymo's fleet. The company later reported to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that its robotaxis experienced 1,593 "stoppage events" during the blackout, which affected about a third of the city. Waymo's system was overwhelmed when numerous vehicles, designed to treat dark intersections as four-way stops, requested "confirmation checks" from remote operators. With only 70 remote operators on duty at any given time, a massive backlog was created, leaving many of the Jaguar I-PACE vehicles stranded with blinking lights, obstructing traffic and, in some cases, impeding emergency responders. At a tense hearing before the Board of Supervisors' Land Use and Transportation Committee, Waymo's Public Policy Manager, Michael Magee, apologized to supervisors, stating, "We acknowledge today, again, that we did not meet our standards during the outage." The company had previously been reluctant to disclose the number of stalled vehicles, claiming the information was a trade secret until a judge compelled them. This incident is the latest in a series of events that have heightened tensions between AV companies and city officials. The San Francisco Fire Department has noted 55 incidents where autonomous vehicles interfered with rescue operations, and Waymo cars have been reported driving through construction zones and active crime scenes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also investigating Waymo after 22 incidents, including 17 crashes. The Teamsters union has been a vocal critic, framing the issue as a threat to both public safety and middle-class jobs. Teamsters Joint Council 7 President Peter Finn accused AV companies of roaming free on city streets while threatening livelihoods. The union has previously challenged Waymo's expansion plans, alleging the company was not transparent about its intent to enter the parcel delivery market. In response to the blackout failures, Waymo has stated it is implementing fleet-wide software updates to provide vehicles with more context during large-scale outages, allowing them to navigate more decisively. The company also committed to improving its emergency response protocols and updating first responder training based on the lessons learned from the event. Regulation of autonomous vehicles in California is split between the DMV, which issues testing permits, and the CPUC, which authorizes passenger service and fare collection. The CPUC has established rules requiring AV operators to submit quarterly reports on a range of data, including service levels to disadvantaged communities and vehicle miles traveled. This operational failure highlights the significant infrastructure dependencies of autonomous vehicle systems, a critical risk factor for a technology positioned as more reliable than human drivers. The incident has provided fresh ammunition for labor groups and skeptical regulators pushing for stricter oversight and, in some cases, a halt to AV expansion until performance and safety can be more robustly guaranteed.