Topic
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April cab strikes in Oakland, California and Windsor, Canada
I found these two recent cab driver strikes. Both seemed triggered by high pro and the economic crisis.
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Article on the Oakland Strike:
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Cabbies strike after owners refuse to lower weekly fees
By Tammerlin Drummond, Oakland Tribune
April 14, 2009
Driving a taxicab has never been what I would consider cushy work.
Drivers often work shifts as long as 17 hours. They sleep sitting
upright in their cabs in airport holding pens while they wait their
turn to pick up an arriving passenger. They are away from their
families for days at a time.
It used to be a modest living, especially for immigrants whose skills
back in their native countries weren't easily transferable to the U.S.
But with the economy in free fall, cabbies, like a lot of people, are
facing tough times. Fewer people are traveling for business and
pleasure so there are fewer airport fares. In the Bay Area, JetBlue and
Southwest now offer flights out of San Francisco, which has cut into
Oakland Airport cab traffic.
On Monday, the drivers at Oakland's largest taxi company, Friendly Cab,
went on strike. About 30 drivers protested in front of Oakland City
Hall. They were back again Tuesday.
They're demanding that the city allow them to purchase their own taxi
licenses, known as medallions, so that they won't have to lease their
cars from Friendly Cab's husband-wife team of Surinder and Baljit Singh.
Between three companies, the Singhs control more than half of the 304
medallions issued by the city of Oakland. The drivers say the owners
charge them $525 per week to lease their taxis. That's down from the
$900 that drivers used to pay when times were flush, but still more,
they say, than they can pay. They tried to get the Singhs to lower
their so-called "gate" to $400 per week. When Surinder Singh refused to
meet with them, their union, the East Bay Taxi Drivers Association,
called for a strike. Half of its 100 members have gone on the picket
line.
Anwar Sadran, president of the association, said his drivers' business is down 60 percent.
"We have to wait hours and hours at the airport," Sadran said. "Then, if you don't get a good fare, you're dead meat."
I am one of those "dead meat" fares. Since I live so close to the
airport, my meter usually runs about $16. I always feel guilty because
I know the poor driver will have to return to the airport and wait
hours for another fare. I've been known to fib to the airport
dispatcher and say that I live closer than I actually do so the driver
can get a ticket that allows him to skip waiting in line again.
A recent decision by the Port of Oakland that now allows all cabs to
pick up at the airport — rather than a select one-third of drivers, has
also reduced the money that regular airport drivers were making.
Takele Alemayen has been driving a cab in Oakland since 1990. He says
it's a far cry from the days when he could pick up one fare after
another.
"I could take a day off," he said. "Now there is no day off. If I do take one I still have to pay the owners $75 for the cab."
There has been bad blood between the drivers and the Singhs for years.
The cabbies complain that the Singhs arbitrarily raise gate fees and refuse to meet to discuss the drivers' concerns.
Up until recently, Abdul Wahid Asghari, a 58-year-old father of four,
drove car No. 206. But he says Friendly took his keys because he owed
back "gate" receipts, the weekly amount that it costs cabbies to lease
their cars.
He had just paid one week, but he didn't have the rest.
"I said, 'What else can I do? I don't have the money,'" Asghari said.
He said that Friendly offered to lease him back his cab — only at a higher rate. He refused.
I tried reaching Surinder Singh at Friendly but there was no answer. My
cell phone message to her husband, Baljit, was not returned.
The taxi drivers say that they'll strike until they get satisfaction —
lower lease fees or the right to buy their own medallions.
"If we have to, we'll drive all 50 of these cars to Sacramento, leave them at the Capitol and turn over the keys," Sadran said.
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Article on the Windsor Strike:
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'Good Samaritan' alleges attack as Vet Cab strike drags
By Dave Battagello and Donald McArthur, The Windsor Star
April 10, 2009
Tempers are allegedly flaring on Windsor’s streets as the nine-day
strike by 300 Veteran Cab drivers drags on with no talks scheduled
through the Easter weekend.
Colin Cutler, who has been picking up passengers at the train station
in his blue Windstar van since the strike began, filed a police report
Friday, alleging a group of angry drivers vandalized his vehicle
Thursday night.
Cutler claims he was sitting in his van in the parking lot of the Tim
Horton’s near the station about 11:30 p.m. when several people kicked
and spat on his van, bending the antenna and breaking the rear
windshield wiper.
On Wednesday, Cutler alleges, a group prevented him for several minutes
from leaving the depot parking lot with a train passenger bound for the
downtown Hilton.
Cutler said he has been offering stranded passengers free rides as a
“Good Samaritan,” but conceded he has pocketed some tip money.
“There’s lots of people looking for rides,” he said.
Gerry Farnham, president of CAW Local 195, which represents the
drivers, said he had no knowledge of the alleged incidents involving
Cutler or any incidents of violence involving his members.
He expressed concerns, though, about taxi drivers licensed in other
municipalities who are picking up fares in Windsor — a contravention of
a city bylaw stipulating they can only drop off fares in the city.
“That’s creating some problems on the line and rightfully so. The
enforcement officers should be fining any taxi cab driver from outside
the city picking up here in the city,” said Farnham.
“Just because we’re on strike doesn’t give cabs from other municipalities the right to come in and pick up fares.”
Talks with the company appeared to be headed in “the right direction”
on Wednesday, said Farnham, but they were derailed when several
multi-license plate owners for the company showed up and met in private
with company executives, who emerged with an unacceptable contract
offer.
"They did drop on some things, but it was not something our members
would agree to," Farnham said. "We knew that and let the employer know
that we would not feel comfortable bringing it to our members.
"I was disappointed and frustrated. Things were going in one direction
and a couple people show up and it went a different way in my opinion.
That's how it went into the ditch."
Farnham described the rental rates for cabs paid by a majority of drivers as too high.
"The ridership has gone down about 25 per cent," Farnham said. "We need
rates that reflect we are in a recession, that ridership is down and
our members can earn an income to raise a family."
Drivers are locked in a seven-day a week, 12-hours per day work situation, he said.
"We are just waiting on the employer," Farnham said "If they have a
different offer and want us to come back our phone lines are open."
"It is Easter weekend, but we are prepared to go back at it."
