BAY AREA TEAMSTERS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM WAYMO FOLLOWING BLACKOUT DISASTER

San Francisco Supervisors Question Robotaxi Company After Traffic Chaos

SAN FRANCISCO, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Teamsters Joint Council 7 was joined by Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and the International Association of Firefighters Local 798 at a press conference outside San Francisco City Hall calling for good jobs and safe streets.

The press conference was followed by a hearing before the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee, where Waymo was compelled to testify about its operational failures during a widespread power outage in December.

During the outage, Waymo vehicles froze in place, causing significant traffic jams and public safety threats. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) blocked first responders and delayed firefighters who were responding to the electrical substation fire that caused the blackout.

"Waymo's excuses about why fire trucks continue to be blocked en route to emergencies, or what will happen to the workers they are trying to displace will persist until we force real change," said Peter Finn, Teamsters Joint Council 7 President and Co-Chair of Teamsters California. "We must continue demanding guardrails and accountability from AV companies while they roam free on our streets, threatening public safety and middle-class jobs."

Since 2022, when Waymo was first approved to operate without a human driver in California, threats to public safety grow by the day. A child was struck by a Waymo outside of his school, and another one killed a Bodega cat in San Francisco. AVs also have a history of driving through construction zones and active crime scenes. In Texas, over the weekend a Waymo blocked an ambulance that was responding to a mass shooting. Waymo has consistently put workers, firefighters, police officers, and the public at risk.

"We are in the streets every day, navigating steep, narrow roads to keep our neighborhoods clean and safe. AVs continually cause route disruptions that delay garbage and recycling collection," said Quentin Booker, a member of Teamsters Local 350 and sanitation driver in San Francisco. "Waymos shouldn't be impeding hardworking Teamsters from doing their jobs."

This year, Teamsters Joint Council 7 will advance a bold legislative package that prevents the threat of dangerous AVs to public safety, protects workers, and ensures that our state's economic growth benefits everyday Californians — not just corporate executives and shareholders.

Teamsters Joint Council 7 represents more than 100,000 members in 20 local unions across Northern California, the Central Valley, and Northern Nevada. Our members work in freight and delivery, construction, dairy, beverage, rail and ports, food processing, parking, solid waste and recycling, hotels, student transportation, public services, and many other industries. For more information, go to teamstersjc7.org.

Contact:    
Alexandra Banash, (510) 418-2612
[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Joint Council 7