>> Self-driving vehicles could be making their way to Chicago and eventually the rest of Illinois, new pilot program being proposed by state lawmakers would allow companies like Waymo to operate in Cook saying a man and Madison counties with autonomous vehicles for 3 years.

The rollout been met with some concerns over safety after the vehicle's past a school bus stop signs in Austin, Texas and struck a child in Santa Monica, California.

Joining us now are running Gonzalez special Representative for I AM Union Midwest territory.

A mechanized union representing workers from different sectors of manufacturing and zoom, Josh McCown ski lobbyist for a beat of Illinois which stands for a Brotherhood aimed toward education.

The organization provides legal resources for motorcyclist in the state and state Representative Kam Buckner whose district includes Bronzeville High Park in the South Loop.

He's sponsoring the bill.

We also reached out to Waymo.

They declined to join us but did send a statement.

We get to that shortly.

Gentlemen, thanks to the 3 of you for joining Representative Buchanan, first.

Why did you propose this legislation?

>> number of reasons, it's what we know that if you look around the country, there's all kind legislation is moving through state houses around U.S.

And what I am really concerned about is making sure that Illinois is ready technology.

If we decide that it needs to come here to the state in a an all inclusive And so what this legislation does is creates a pilot program.

It's a three-year pilot that gives us the opportunity to put a certain number of these cars in the street to figure they love when it comes to safety.

Bigger, what we're doing when it comes to some of that led issues and labor This is little term.

test to see that technology work for Illinois for the future.

>> Josh, what are some of your concerns with autonomous driving vehicles?

Our concerns are primarily with oversight and disclosure of data that so far.

>> Waymo technology has not been independently verified.

And when it comes to oversight on them, the legislation that we've seen pass in other states doesn't allow to recall them off of the roadway.

It doesn't allow for full disclosure is what's going on.

They're demanding access to public roadways to test on against public drivers.

We should have disclosure of the data and we should have oversight.

>> Representative Buckner, would you say to some of those concerns?

>> I think concern you've got make some very good points.

And this is part of I actually believe we have to study.

This is the gives us answer on how we move this technology forward.

If we decide to move the technology forward is very important to know that these vehicles, while swell so driving, they're not so regulating.

We have those conversations, Springfield, about other, do this the right way.

So actually shows extent of anything that happens in this state.

this conversation has to have and safety and privacy its core.

And I hope that we can get there.

>> Renee, you're a leader in the Illinois drivers Alliance.

You're trying to unionize rideshare drivers.

How would the introduction of self-driving cars?

How would it impact your efforts?

Yeah, thank you.

It would definitely have a negative impact immediately to a displace rideshare drivers and our concern and the labor world is that technology has been coming into the workplace for decades now.

And, you know, we'd be foolish to say that it can't, and it's never going to come.

So we want to make sure that drivers have of the waste and are active in legislation if it's going to pass.

>> Is this do you see this as sort of the next sort of progression in this, you know, sort of disruption of transportation, right when LeBron left first came onto the scene, Tad Cabdrivers, taxi drivers were really upset, right?

And then we see far fewer cabs on the road today.

Do you see something similar happening if Waymo or something like it is much more popular?

>> Yes, absolutely.

You know, public transit could suffer rideshare drivers, especially it would have a negative impact.

And those workers, want to participate in the economy of the of the state and they earn money here in the state by giving rides to passengers and they also spend their money here.

If tech company comes in and has autonomous vehicles, those are about taxis are not going to spend their money here in Illinois.

It's going to get siphoned out.

So we want to make sure that it's not a danger to our economy.

There.

>> Representative Buckner, you know, supporters say that this technology, it's the future Illinois could be left behind if the laws are too restrictive.

Do you think there's a way to implement this technology?

But still support the Illinois economy?

>> Absolutely.

Number one witness and this is about not given us past getting this done right.

And I agree with other concerns but making sure that we are not accepting of the labor force in the fact, I have a chief sponsor on the bill that will unionize rideshare drivers here in the state of Illinois are making that get all of these things forward my wheel house here.

But it's important for us to make sure that we're going to where we 29 other states have done But Illinois, second, different posture, right, California tonight to a pilot takes us to pilot Arizona would straight to the point.

We're trying to take our time here and get this right.

And I think we can find abounds.

>> Roni, same question to you.

Would you prefer to not see self-driving autonomous vehicles here altogether?

Or do you think there's a way to bring them here?

But still support the economy?

I think it has to be done responsibly.

And that's what we ask of legislators to make sure that we're not just a test track for them that it's done safely and considers workers positions and that they are not displaced.

While this happens, what might what would that look like upon implementation?

driver transition programs, education, you know, a one for one.

If a driver naturally through attrition, retires out of the market.

That one, you know, autonomous vehicle could replace them.

So.

>> To say it's not going to happen, cool.

It's like I said happens responsibly as what we're looking for.

>> Josh Waymo promotes that their cars are safer than human drivers, which know humans make errors on the road all the time.

We did receive a statement from Waymo.

It reads, quote, Our Technology can make Illinois's roads safer in transportation in the state, more accessible, the data shows our vehicles are involved in 10 times fewer serious injury or worse crashes in 12 times, fewer injury crashes with pedestrians compared to other drivers where we operate.

Josh, what do you make of It because I know that you have concerns over information from Waco.

>> Absolutely.

If you go to Waymo's website, I encourage do it go to safety.

You'll see a phrase that says learn how we choose what date it to include in our reports.

Basically, they cherry pick their numbers.

If you take a look at the numbers that they're reporting first, the numbers that are reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the numbers that are being reported in California, it doesn't match.

It doesn't add up.

Additionally, they're using some very curious modeling as to what they determine the vehicle miles traveled by.

Humans would be in making those comparisons.

If you want further proof of how they're modeling a little messed up when they hit the young lady of the young kid in California a couple weeks ago in a school zone, they did a model with a city human driver would have been doing 19 miles an hour through a school zone.

Every human driver.

I know when they see small kids in and out of vehicles slows way, way down.

So there's some serious concerns of how Waymo presents data.

>> What kind of changes, Josh, would you like to see in the proposed legislation?

>> So bay to the Illinois has worked with the co-sponsors to introduce our own version of legislation.

It's House Bill.

4789 Indian or version of legislation.

It requires the public disclosure of every collision that the vehicle has.

It requires identifying numbers on the vehicles.

So when we see those social media posts of Waymo's behaving badly like being stuck on the trolley track, we'll know what unit is messing up.

And then Waymo would have to publicly disclose the unit.

The incident, how it occurred and how they're going to fix it.

And that way you can track the actual progress with real data by unit, by area of operation and maybe those of us that are in traffic safety can all work together to make the product safer overall because right now it's not happening.

10 years of development.

We're still having very serious issues happening on the roadways.

>> Representative Buckner, what protections do you think could be worked into the legislation so that riders and anyone who is not inside the Waymo vehicle, anyone who was around at other drivers and of course, pedestrians, that they are all protected.

>> It's extremely important to me that we get this part right.

We know we have a vulnerable road users who will be sharing the roads with These folks like bicycle.

Listen, motorcyclists and You know, CTA buses will be sharing the with folks.

So we have make sure that we get this right.

I think many of the issues that just bring up a very important that we had find a make sure that folks are protected and that we have process by which to do that.

And is all part of the process is very good that we're having this conversation publicly figure out where we are.

We're doing things that other states have not So truly believe we could all come to the table.

So it kind of eligible for.

>> So just about out of time at a Senate hearing last week, Ronnie chief safety officer for Waymo said that the cars are provided guidance by remote operators with fate.

Don't remotely drive the vehicles.

In fact, some of the operators are in the Philippines.

30 seconds.

Your concerns about that outsourced labor.

>> Yeah.

The fact that a company operating here in the United States and is using outsourced labor obviously is a huge problem.

The fact this company is making money and they're not doing it from American workers and contributing to our economy is just disturbing.

And that's what we'll have to leave it.

I'm sure there's more to come on this issue.

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