SAN FRANCISCO — The California Teamsters union is suing several state agencies and their leaders, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, claiming Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration improperly rolled out regulations that pave the way for self-driving trucks on state roads.
The lawsuit — seen by POLITICO before it was officially filed Wednesday — comes as the home of tech innovation grapples with the potential workforce impacts of new tools like AI, and also sets up a potential battle between labor and Silicon Valley interests for the state's next governor.
Despite long being the home of self-driving companies like Tesla and Waymo, California had previously been the only state that prohibited large self-driving vehicles, in part due to long-running objections from unions about job displacement. But in April, the DMV adopted the new rules for autonomous trucks, with agency Director Steve Gordon saying at the time they would support the growth of the AV industry while enhancing public safety and accountability for manufacturers.
The Teamsters' lawsuit argues the new rules pose "an existential threat" to hundreds of thousands of union jobs, asking the court to prevent the DMV from enforcing them, and declare that they were implemented in error.
"The DMV irresponsibly, carelessly, and unlawfully kept the public in the dark about the true economic and human costs of the amended Autonomous Vehicle regulations," said Julie Gutman Dickinson, an attorney with labor law firm Bush Gottlieb representing the Teamsters, in a statement. "The only way to protect the public's right to properly scrutinize regulations that will transform transportation in California is for the Court to order the DMV to immediately rescind the illegally enacted regulations."
The DMV regulations allow commercial trucks and other vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more to apply to eventually operate autonomously on public roads in California.
The lawsuit also names the state transportation and finance agencies as respondents, along with the administrative law office. The DMV declined to comment on pending or active litigation. The Department of Finance said it had yet to be served and declined to comment.
The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, centers on claims that the DMV did not perform the required economic study on the potential effects of the new rules. The Teamsters argue the agency used an abbreviated rulemaking process meant for more minor regulatory updates with less than $50 million in costs or benefits in the first year after implementation.
The Teamsters allege the DMV underestimated the costs of deploying self-driving trucks on state roads by counting the cost of data-reporting requirements companies would face to be in the low millions, and claiming no jobs will be eliminated by autonomous heavy vehicles.
The regulations could "eventually wipe out the jobs of more than 200,000 employee semi-truck drivers working across California," and potentially a similar number of self-employed drivers, the lawsuit said.
California adopted the rules after first seeking public comment on them and updating the regulations following feedback from labor and industry including Volkswagen, Waymo and Zoox.
The rules are being rolled out as the U.S. AV trucking market is expected to reach about $18 billion by 2030, according to some estimates.
Newsom had previously vetoed labor-backed legislation twice that attempted to set limits on autonomous technology in heavy trucks and delivery vehicles. Another measure on the issue is currently pending in the state Legislature.
But with Newsom wrapping up his final term as governor, organized labor is hopeful that the state's likely next governor, fellow Democrat Xavier Becerra, will be more receptive to their concerns.
Earlier this year, Becerra came out in support of drivers remaining in the cab, after pressure from organized labor. If the Teamsters succeed in their effort to delay the rollout of autonomous trucks until a new governor takes office next year, they hope they could have an ally who is willing to drop the regulations altogether.
The Teamsters have also argued autonomous trucks pose an even greater safety risk than smaller self-driving cars, given that some may weigh tens of thousands of pounds.
The Teamsters have previously pointed to two recent instances in San Francisco in which Waymo robotaxis froze and fueled traffic chaos, once during a blackout in December and more recently during July 4 celebrations.
Those events have led San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to back a proposal in Congress to reel in autonomous vehicles — a notable shift from a Democratic city and administration that has sought to portray itself as the home of innovation.
Self-driving giants like Tesla, meanwhile, have argued the technology will greatly improve road safety by decreasing dangers like drunk drivers, and also make up for shortages in the labor force.