Texas Truckers Threaten to Strike!
CBS News reports that a potential strike is brewing in Texas as Teamsters Local 745, which represents the vast majority of Albertsons truck drivers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, voted Monday to authorize a strike against the company and its affiliates.
The union represents about 90% of Albertsons’ local fleet, including other grocery stoeres like Tom Thumb and Randall’s. Union leaders say their members have been working without a contract since Saturday, after months of stalled negotiations dating back to February.
The issues at hand are concerns over fair wage and benefits, as well as job security being threatened by driverless semis. As autonomous truck technology has improved, many truckers have become less confident in their job security.
“Our drivers are very frustrated,” said Michael Perez, an organizer and assistant business representative for Local 745. “Basically, they’re not listening to their voice. These are hard-working men and women, and they just want to come to work and do their job and get a fair wage with fair benefits.”
Perez continued to outline the issues with autonomous trucks. “When you take the driver out of it, and you take the professional out of it… I don’t want my family, my wife, my kids, and my grandkids on the same road as an 80,000-pound vehicle without a driver involved,” he said.
The union has warned that a strike could disrupt grocery supply chains, potentially causing delays in food deliveries to stores and consumers’ tables. Perez noted that Albertsons may respond by hiring subcontracted or less experienced drivers, raising further safety and efficiency concerns.
An Albertsons spokesperson issued a statement: “We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair to our employees, good for our customers, and allows our company to remain competitive.”
With the strike now officially authorized, union officials say it could begin at any time. And with the rise of autonomous trucks in the industry, more could happen across the country.
Watch the story by CBS News:
Read more about autonomous semis on The Mighty Trucker:
