Mexican duties called ?bullying tactics?

Mexican duties called æbullying tacticsÆ    U.S. truckers and the Teamsters union have called on the Obama administration to fight back against the Mexican government's imposition this week of additional duties on U.S. exports.
   'These bullying tactics should not be tolerated. The onus is on Mexico to raise safety, security and environmental standards for their trucking industry,' said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), in a statement. 'We should not allow ourselves to be blackmailed into lowering our standards.'

Spencer

   More than 18 months have passed since Mexico first imposed the tariffs because the United States refuses to open its borders to Mexican trucks. On Monday, Mexico said it intended to add several products, while reducing or eliminating duties on several others, for a total of 99 products since the U.S. Congress has refused to fund the Cross-Border Trucking Pilot Program.
   'At a time of deepening budget deficits and a weak economy, it would be foolish to subject U.S. taxpayers to such an expensive and very unsafe program,' said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. Restarting the program would cost an estimated $500 million.

Hoffa

   'Instead of slapping additional tariffs on U.S. goods, Mexico should be living up to its end of the bargain by making sure its drivers and truckers are safe enough to use our highways,' Hoffa added.
   OOIDA chastised the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for failing to take action earlier against Mexico for implementing duties on U.S. exports.
   'If the U.S. Trade Representative had called out Mexico for their illegal tariffs more than a year ago, we would not be in this situation,' Spencer said. 'It was irresponsible to allow it to go on for this long.'