Yellow Cab’s New Lease
Gets Off to Slow Start
Most Drivers Don’t Sign Up
Despite Threat of Job Loss
Yellow Cab has made good on a threat to start
phasing in a new contract that obligates drivers to pay for their assigned shifts in advance each month. But despite company attempts to coerce drivers into signing the new lease, as of early August most had refused to do so.
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Appeals Board Upholds
Decision to Add 50 Cabs
The Board of Appeals has upheld a decision of the Taxi Commission approving the addition of 50 cabs to the fleet. Twenty-five of the new cabs will be wheelchairaccessible ramp vans, and 25 will be hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.
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City Joins UTW’s Lawsuit
To Recover Gate Overcharges
The City of San Francisco has successfully intervened in support of United Taxicab Workers’ lawsuit against three cab companies to recover gate overcharges.
Judge Donald Mitchell granted the city’s request after a July 31 hearing on the matter. The judge’s order states, “The City has a direct and immediate interest in protecting its taxicab policy . . . And in maintaining the integrity of the actions and reports of its Controller. ”
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Fee Increases
Found Illegal
For the past several years, taxi fees have been going up automatically, in line with the Consumer Price Index. This year those increases were discovered to be illegal . Under the Police Code, most permit fees increase automatically to keep up with inflation. But not taxi fees, which could only be raised by...
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Union Cab, R.I.P.
Union Cab spare #2482 is banned from the airport after it and another spare were caught simultaneously using the same medallion. A metal medallion was in one cab while a temporary medallion was in the other. UTW Chair Thomas George-Williams captured the incident on a video which was used as evidence for revocation of Union’s color scheme permit.
Union Cab’s Permit Revoked
for Numerous Violations
The Taxi Commission revoked Union Cab’s color scheme permit on June 12 owing to numerous violations of taxi ordinances and regulations. The company is now out of business.
Among the charges against Union were failure to have liability and workers’ compensation insurance and numerous equipment, record-keeping, and reporting violations, including fraudulent reporting. Cabs were found operating without license plates, registration cards or license tabs, and in unsafe condition...
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Medallion Holders Sue
To Gain Driving Exemption
Two National Cab medallion holders have sued the
Taxi Commission and city under the Americans With
Disabilities Act (ADA), claiming the act exempts them
and others who are unable to drive from compliance with the Proposition K driving requirement. The class-action lawsuit was filed June 26 in Federal Court.
Taxi Commission policy allows medallion holders with temporary impairments to obtain limited waivers of the requirement. But in line with an appeals court decision and opinions of the City Attorney, exemptions are not allowed for conditions that permanently prevent the medallion holder from driving.
This is the latest in a series of attempts by medallion
holders to be relieved of the requirement...
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Anti-UTW Smear Campaign
Takes Root at Yellow Cab By Mark Gruberg
Yes, I'm the guy whose mug adorns the flyer to the right, the poster boy for that corrupt and downright evil group of drivers -- United Taxicab Workers by name -- whose greedy dealings are designed to line their own pockets, at the expense of other hard-working drivers.
Doesn't quite ring true? Okay, let's set the record straight. In short, the charges are baseless. They're part and parcel of an anti-UTW vendetta begun by a Yellow Cab driver and former UTW member. This driver has succumbed to a tactic companies have used time and again when their dominance over their workforce is challenged: the fear factor. It's a standard company ploy, all-too-familiar to anyone involved in contract negotiations...
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Blown-up versions of this flyer and similar ones covered the walls of Yellow Cab in July, as part of an anti UTW vendetta conducted by a driver with the company’s blessing. The flyers were widely distributed at Yellow and the airport. Luxor Cab also posted it.