A North Texas Teamsters Union representing truckers has voted to strike over autonomous semi truck concerns and fair benefits. 

Teamsters Local Union 745 represents nearly 100 truck drivers working for Albertsons in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which is approximately 90% of the company’s local drivers. On Monday, May 12th, the Union voted to strike over autonomous semi truck concerns and better benefits. 

According to CBS News, the local Albertsons drivers have been working without a contract since Saturday, and have been attempting to negotiate a fair contract with the company since February. 

“Our drivers are very frustrated,” said Michael Perez, an organizer and assistant business representative with Local 745. “Basically, they’re not listening to their voice. These are hard-working men and women, and they just want to come to work and do their job and get a fair wage with fair benefits for their jobs going forward.”

The truck drivers are also pushing for job security as Albertsons management works to include language in worker contracts that would allow the company to use driverless semi trucks. This push only highlights autonomous semi truck concerns held by the local drivers. 

“When you take the driver out of it, and you take the professional out of it, and you just leave it in the hands of a computer or something we’re not fans of that, and I honestly don’t feel that anyone who drives a vehicle or has a family shouldn’t want that,” Perez said. “That is a big concern for the community, but I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t want my family, my wife, and my kids, and my grandkids, on the same road as a truck, an 80,000-pound vehicle, without a driver involved.”

There is no current date set for the driver strike to begin, but Perez says the Union has authorized the truck drivers to start the demonstration at any time. 

“There could definitely be a delay in food getting to the grocery store and to your table,” Perez said. “They would probably hire subcontractors, which are inexperienced drivers… We’re not going to stop until we get what we’re after, and what these men and women that drive for them deserve.”

Albertsons has made the following statement about the autonomous semi truck concerns and impending strike: “At Albertsons companies, we are committed to productive discussions with Teamsters Local 745. We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair to our employees, good for our customers and allows our company to remain competitive.”