The protesters also raised concerns about the safety of Cruise's driverless taxis, claiming they violate vehicle codes and are not advanced enough to respond to emergency vehicles. They warned of the potential for high-tech human replacements to steal jobs on a massive scale. Meanwhile, GM's Cruise is reportedly close to regulatory approval for mass production of its fully autonomous vehicle, although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not confirmed this.
Key takeaways:
- A small protest was held on Labor Day outside Cruise's headquarters in San Francisco by taxi drivers and mass transit workers, expressing concerns about the impact of autonomous vehicles on their jobs.
- Edward Escobar, a Bay Area Uber driver and director of the Alliance for Independent Workers, believes that tech companies like Waymo and General Motors are dictating the terms of the autonomous vehicle industry, with the California Public Utilities Commission allowing it to happen.
- Cruise insists that it is taking steps to protect workers through partnerships with local labor unions and highlights its commitment to the community by using 100% Bay Area union labor for the construction of a major EV charging facility.
- Despite these efforts, there are concerns about the permanent displacement of many workers due to automation and self-driving technology. A study from UC Berkeley suggests that over 600,000 transport workers in California could be displaced.