An accident involving a Waymo robotaxi striking a child near a school in Santa Monica has prompted one of California’s largest unions to call for the Alphabet-owned driverless cab service to be shut down statewide.
Teamsters California on Monday urged the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to indefinitely suspend Waymo’s license to operate in the state, arguing the incident underscores broader safety and labor concerns tied to autonomous vehicles.
“This incident is emblematic of the broader goal Big Tech companies have to replace skilled human labor with AI,” said Teamsters Co-Chairs Peter Finn and Victor Mineros in a statement. “They want to force millions of people into destitution by destroying their livelihoods, seize money that belongs to workers, and force our communities to reckon with the fallout of automation’s shortcomings. Robotaxis threaten workers’ jobs and are now terrorizing our kids.”…