Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, LABOR NEWS—Local workers support Boston ordinance studying, limiting commercial autonomous vehicle operations, (Oct 30, 2025)

By Patricia K. Ruiz, J.D.

Under the proposed ordinance, Boston’s mayor would establish a Commercial Autonomous Vehicle Operations Labor and Small Business Impact Advisory Board.

In the first mass-mobilization effort outside of California to push back against the unchecked expansion of autonomous vehicles, Teamsters and the Labor United Against Waymo Coalition called on the Boston City Council to pass a proposed ordinance that would study the impact of and create permit requirements for commercial autonomous vehicle operations in the City of Boston. The rally occurred outside of city hall and during an October 28, 2025, hearing.

Study requirement. The ordinance states that the introduction of commercial autonomous vehicle operations in the City of Boston without substantial regulation could have significant negative impacts on the local economy, displacing thousands of commercial and rideshare drivers “whose labor and vehicle investments have been instrumental in creating the passenger transportation network industry in Boston over the past decade,” and disrupting hundreds of small businesses that serve the rideshare driver community. The ordinance requires a comprehensive, public, and participatory study to determine whether the introduction of commercial autonomous vehicle operations in Boston will serve to benefit its residents, local economy, and rideshare drivers.

To complete the study, the mayor will establish a Commercial Autonomous Vehicle Operations Labor and Small Business Impact Advisory Board, which will include the chief of the Worker Empowerment Cabinet as chair, as well as other city officials and representatives from the Greater Boston Labor Council, the App Drivers Union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445. The Board will enlist an independent research institution with expertise in ridehail labor economics to conduct a comprehensive review and evaluate the potential deployment of commercial autonomous vehicles in the City of Boston.

The Board will also examine the potential for commercial autonomous vehicle operations to interfere with the operations of first responders, evaluate the ability of autonomous vehicles to navigate the city’s streets and roads, and assess the congestion impacts of such operations. Additionally, the Board will hold a series of public hearings to obtain testimony from rideshare drivers, commercial drivers, and members of the public, releasing preliminary findings and allowing a public comment period of at least 30 days. By July 1, 2026, the Board will publish a final review report and recommendations to the mayor on a publicly accessible website.

Permit requirements. The ordinance prohibits the operation of commercial autonomous vehicle operations in Boston until the study is completed and operational permit requirements are established. Any permit process must include the following requirements: (1) an autonomous vehicle operating in the City of Boston may not transport passengers or goods unless a human safety operator is physically present in the vehicle and has the ability to monitor the performance of the vehicle and intervene if necessary, including but not limited to taking over immediate manual control of the vehicle or shutting of the vehicle; and (b) autonomous vehicles and human safety operators must meet all applicable local, state, and federal requirements.

Reactions from labor organizations. “Driverless cars and trucks pose a serious threat to public safety, our communities, and the livelihoods of the countless dedicated men and women across the Commonwealth who work as professional drivers,” said Tom Mari, President of Teamsters Local 25. “These machines don’t benefit working people—they only serve the interests of out-of-state Big Tech billionaires, and their opinions shouldn’t outweigh the needs of Massachusetts residents.”

“I regularly transport patients to Boston hospitals, and if robotaxis block us, freeze in place, or don’t know how to yield, they could kill people,” said Abby O’Brien, a paramedic at Armstrong Ambulance and a member of Local 25. “This isn’t theoretical, it’s what I face every day. Keep trained human operators behind the wheel because life depends on it.”

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