The Teamsters Union is demanding that Cruise, the GM-owned self-driving car company, publicly release a report on its response to a horrific accident in San Francisco. The accident, which involved a woman being run over and dragged for 20 feet by one of Cruise’s robotaxis, has raised serious questions about the company’s safety practices and commitment to transparency.
The Teamsters’ demands come after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) revoked Cruise’s permits for allegedly lying to regulators about the incident. Cruise has hired the law firm Quinn Emanuel to conduct an internal investigation, but the company has not yet released the report to the public.
Lack of Transparency Raises Concerns
Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 856, expressed concern about Cruise’s lack of transparency. He called on the company to release the Quinn Emanuel report in its entirety and accept any penalties imposed by regulators.
“Mary Barra, GM’s Chief Executive Officer, is telling the public that Cruise wants to rebuild trust and focus on safety, transparency, and accountability. That means releasing the complete Quinn Emanuel report to the public once it’s finished and accepting penalties from regulators, neither of which the company has committed to doing right now,” said Finn.
Hidden Data and Whistleblower Protection
Finn went on to call for a detailed accounting of Cruise’s safety data, including how and why the company hid the crash video from regulators. He also raised questions about the company’s whistleblower protection policies and the economic incentives for executives that could lead to safety incidents.
“The internal review should also account for potential factors that cause safety incidents at Cruise, such as internal processes for protecting whistleblowers, where accountability begins and ends at Cruise, how often GM’s board is given safety reports from Cruise, and the economic incentives for executives that could have caused safety incidents to occur,” he added.
Teamsters Advocate for Real AV Regulation
The Teamsters are not the only ones calling for increased transparency and accountability in the autonomous vehicle industry. Many experts have raised concerns about the lack of oversight and the potential safety risks associated with self-driving cars.
“GM wants Cruise to be perceived as transparent and accountable without having to do the work of being transparent and accountable. Their unwillingness so far to release the report leaves questions about what else we don’t know. It’s also exemplary of a larger problem in the AV industry – these companies can pick and choose what safety data they share with the public without real oversight. That is why the Teamsters will continue to fight for real AV regulation, both in California and nationwide,” said Finn.
The Teamsters’ call for transparency and accountability is a crucial step in ensuring the safety of self-driving cars. Only by demanding full disclosure and holding companies accountable can we ensure that this technology is used safely and responsibly.
