Calling Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters a lawbreaker, the IBT points to the recent legislative budget action seeking to stop the pilot program for Mexican carriers crossing the US border.
Under provisions of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexican carriers were to be permitted to carry freight into and out of the US. A pilot program to permit Mexican carriers to enter the US beyond a limited border region was strongly opposed by the IBT. In December 2007, the US Congress used the omnibus budget bill to cut funding to “establish” the pilot program. DOT argued the program had already been established and so the funding cut would not preclude its continuing the pilot program.
The Teamsters have initiated a court action which was scheduled to be heard by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
