“The timing could not have been more devastating; the decision hit just as my family had welcomed a new baby and we were on the verge of buying our first home. Overnight, a qualified, safe, and deeply committed transit operator was sidelined by bureaucracy,” an affected former Metro Train Operator told the Committee.
Hundreds of union members at the Los Angeles Metro have been stripped of their commercial driver’s licenses. A new rule from the US Department of Transportation no longer permits some immigrant workers who legally work in the US and have passed the Commercial DMV test to receive a CDL. Why are union leaders refusing to fight back? Let’s dig in.
The threat to workers’ CDLs first emerged last September when US DOT Secretary Sean Duffy issued a new rule excluding DACA recipients, among others, from receiving CDLs. According to the Train Operator the Committee spoke with, their CDL was revoked due to their DACA status.
The false idea that immigrant drivers are more likely than other drivers to have fatal accidents was first spread by Secretary Sean Duffy. The media repeated this idea, creating a false sense of urgency. The public began to believe that action was needed to ensure road safety.
It was never true. According to the government’s own data, immigrant drivers are much less likely than their peers to be involved in fatal accidents. Additionally, fatal accidents are at their lowest in years.
Again, the former Train Operator that the Committee spoke with: “Throughout my career, I have played strictly by the rules—earning two college degrees, maintaining an entirely spotless criminal record, and working hard to build a life here. However, my career was abruptly upended by a sudden federal policy shift.”
California’s DMV has so far complied with the rule, revoking CDLs as they come up for renewal. California is proving to bosses that it will be a reliable partner when it comes time to further cut driving jobs throughout transportation and logistics through technology.
A former Metro Bus Operator describes the emotional toll: “I lost not only a stable career, but also a sense of purpose, independence, and progress that I had worked hard to build. The job gave me structure, confidence, and the ability to support myself, and losing it forced me to take a significant pay cut and reevaluate my future.”
Hundreds of unionized operators and mechanics at Metro have lost their licenses. Many were reassigned as Metro Ambassadors. Metro gains the most from this. Workers with years of experience and proven reliability on the job now receive the least pay. Is it any wonder that Metro has not protested the rule change?
The bigger question is why union leaders aren’t taking action. Workers reassigned as Ambassadors are now in multiple unions, owing monthly dues to each union! While workers feel the pain of reduced pay, reset seniority, and dues doubled, union bank accounts remain safe.
Union leadership is refusing to see the flashing red light ahead. The same month California DMV stopped renewing workers’ CDLs, it started allowing public employers, like Metro, to begin using autonomous vehicles for passenger service. This shows how workers can be suddenly put out of work by new rules and replaced by technology.
Rank-and-file workers, both immigrant and native-born, must fight together. The State and Federal Government are paving the way for tech bosses to displace workers. The truth is that replacing workers through technology today only allows bosses to buy our labor cheaply tomorrow. Rank-and-file workers must fight to protect our right to good jobs with living wages. Workers at Metro must stand up for their fellow workers who have been denied a CDL. Failing to do so, they are next.
Works cited:
- ‘Administration Creates New Restrictions for Truck and Bus Driver Licensing’, Eno Center for Transportation
- ‘The Foreign Driver Scapegoat: How DOT Targets International Truckers Despite Record Safety Improvements’, COGO Insurance
- ‘Non-Domiciled CDL Restrictions: What the Data Actually Shows About the Policy Rationale’, COGO Insurance
- ‘Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Takes Emergency Action to Protect America’s Roads, Restrict Non-Domiciled CDLs’, US Department of Transportation
- ‘Important Changes to Limited-Term Legal Presence CDL Requirements’, California Department of Motor Vehicles
- ‘Autonomous trucks get green light from California DMV’, San Francisco Examiner
- ‘New Autonomous Vehicle Regulations Strengthen Oversight (California DMV) (California DMV)and Enforcement, Authorize Trucks and Transit’, CA DMV
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