HOUSTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Teamsters President James P. Hoffa promised a women's conference in Houston this weekend the labor union would fight a planned Mexican truck program.
During this weekend's Teamster Women's Conference, Hoffa said the International Brotherhood of Teamsters would lobby against a plan to open the U.S.-Mexico border to Mexican truckers, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday.
Citing a recent report from the Department of Transportation, Hoffa said the year-long pilot program still has numerous safety and security issues.
"It's a disaster waiting to happen," Hoffa said during Saturday's conference.
The plan would allow trucks from Mexico to travel past a 25-mile buffer zone the U.S. government set up along the border.
After Hoffa vowed to lobby Congress to remove funding for the endeavor, John H. Hill of the motor carrier safety administration questioned what was truly motivating the union official.
"I think this is about issues unrelated to the safety agenda," Hill told the Chronicle.
