<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> >From a Teamster e-mail pal in Indiana: Tom, January 1, 2000 is the date set for Mexican trucks to start rolling across the border. The issues are unsafe Mexican trucks on US highways, Mexican drivers getting paid just dollars/day to do the same work as US drivers; union or non-union. President Clinton has recently agreed to look into these issues in a meeting with Junior. Below is a news article dated December 9th from the IBT's web site. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- DOT REPORT CONFIRMS PUBLIC CONCERNS ABOUT UNSAFE MEXICAN TRUCKS   I.G.¹s Report Follows Near Majority Of Senate Support For Keeping Border Closed International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa today urged the Clinton Administration to maintain current restrictions on unsafe Mexican trucks entering the United States following the receipt of a Department of Transportation (DOT) report. A recent report by the DOT Inspector General says more than 250 trucking companies are operating illegally in the United States and violating U.S. laws. "Currently, Mexican trucks are allowed to operate in a small commercial zone in the four border states," Hoffa stated. "The latest report shows that these unsafe trucks have been operating illegally in 24 states. This is a clear violation of the law and our safety standards. Our elected officials must protect American motorists from unsafe Mexican trucks." The report follows a letter sent to President Clinton in November, signed by a bi-partisan group of 48 senators, urging him to keep the border closed. Despite promises from the administration and Mexican authorities, the Inspector General¹s report shows that unsafe cross-border trucking has not improved since the implementation of NAFTA and does not appear to be getting better. Further, the report indicates that citations issued at roadside inspections disclosed critical safety violations and that limited or no enforcement actions were taken against Mexican motor carriers operating beyond their authority. "The danger posed by illegal cross-border trucking is going to get much worse for American motorists before it gets better," Hoffa continued. "The evidence in the new report supports what the Teamsters have always maintained. Mexican trucks are not only unsafe but there appears to be no effort to make them safe. This is no joke, lives are at stake." The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represent more than 1.4 million working men and women, throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. ----------    </html>