Striking Las Vegas Taxi Drivers Rally in Support of Bills to End Long-Hauling
More than 100 striking taxi drivers from Las Vegas traveled to the state Capitol in Carson City, Nev., this week to rally in support of legislation to crack down on the practice of "long-hauling" and to give drivers a voice on the Nevada Taxicab Authority Board. As previously reported , the drivers, who are members of the Industrial, Technical and Professional Employees (ITPEU)/OPEIU Local 4873, have been on strike since May 3 from Yellow-Checker-Star Transportation.
The drivers support legislation, Assembly Bill 329, that would crack down on "long-hauling," where drivers take longer routes than necessary to charge riders more money in fares. A recent state audit found one in four taxi rides in Las Vegas involve longer routes and higher fares than necessary. Drivers supported the legislation , which ended up not getting a vote in the Assembly.
Driver Sam Moffett, a member of ITPEU, explains the practice was something drivers were forced to do because of the methods the various taxi companies, not just Yellow-Checker-Star, use to discipline drivers. During any shift, there are a certain number of cabs that each company sends into the field. The number of miles and money brought in is averaged. According to Moffett, if a particular driver comes in at average or above average, they face no discipline for their shift. But if a driver does not miss the average quota, Moffett says, they can be punished up to the point of being fired on a third instance. Moffett says that many drivers take longer routes than necessary to make sure they stay above the average. This also drives the average up, he says, and means honest drivers are penalized for telling the truth and giving their customers the best, quickest route. In that case, more and more drivers take longer routes to avoid losing their jobs.
The Yellow-Checker-Star drivers have been on strike because they claim the company is engaging in unfair labor practices during contract negotiations. In addition to the elimination of long-hauling, the drivers have a significant list of complaints about Yellow-Checker-Star's practices. From a press release about the event:
- Many drivers were earning below federal minimum wage levels. (Following complaints by Yellow-Checker-Star drivers and the union, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division reached a settlement with Yellow-Checker-Star, requiring the companies to pay back wages to 1,670 drivers in the amount of $387,020.48, the amount the companies short-changed the drivers. Yellow-Checker-Star has until 2015 to locate and pay drivers who have left the company, or the money will be forfeited to the federal government. The settlement required Yellow-Checker-Star to put a system in place that would ensure drivers are paid the federal minimum wage at all times.)
- Drivers demand a living wage.
- Yellow-Checker-Star’s refusal to pay drivers a greater share of the meter.
- Drivers often work 60-72 hours a week with no overtime pay.
- Yellow-Checker-Star installed surveillance cameras in the taxi cabs.
- Drivers say that Yellow-Checker-Star is not putting the required number of taxis on the street during the strike.
“All of these issues show how vital it is that taxi drivers be permitted a seat on the Taxicab Authority Board,” says ITPEU/OPEIU Local 4873 President Dennis R. Arrington. “It’s time that their voices were heard and that companies like YCS be held accountable for the way they treat the riding public and employees.”
