Plaintiffs suing cab companies for gate overcharges talk to a reporter outside City Hall at a Nov. 2 press conference announcing the filing of the class-action lawsuit. L. to r.: Dave Barlow, Arrow Cab; Marshall Childs, Yellow Cab; Dave Schneider, Luxor Cab. click here to see more pictures click here to read the pressrelease

United Taxicab Workers and three cab drivers have filed a lawsuit against three taxi companies for violations of the city's gate cap. The cap is the maximum amount taxi companies can charge cab drivers for leasing taxis by the shift. The class-action lawsuit was filed Nov. 2 in Superior Court against Yellow Cab, Luxor Cab and Speck Cab Co. Speck operates Arrow Cab, and ran Veterans Cab until National Cab took over its management in January. The suit was brought on behalf of all drivers who paid gates to those companies since Sept. 1, 2004. According to the City Attorney, the gate cap during the time period in question was $85 for a shift of 10 hours or longer. But major cab companies have been charging $91.50 or more, with Yellow and Luxor charging $92.50. Two reports of the City Controller confirm that drivers have been overcharged. Individual plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Marshall Childs, Yellow Cab; David Schneider, Luxor Cab; and David Barlow, Speck Cab Co. Representing plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Oakland attorney Jonathan Siegel of Siegel &LeWitter and San Francisco attorney Matthew Kumin. click here to read this article

Health Care Working Group Begins Meetings The Taxi Commission has appointed a Health Care Working Group to make recommendations to the commission on a taxi driver health care plan. The commission is expected to propose a plan to the Board of Supervisors by April 1. At its first meeting on Oct. 17, the group elected Commissioner Tom Oneto as its chair. In addition to Oneto, voting members of the working group are... click here to read this article

Need Help or Advice? Call UTW What's the maximum gate your company can charge you? Are you required to post a security deposit? Can you be charged back gates if you miss a shift? Are you entitled to workers' compensation if you have a job-related injury or illness? If you lose your job, are you entitled to unemployment benefits? What if you're assigned an unsafe cab? If you'd like the answer to these or other work-related questions, we're here to help. Call us at: 864-8294

Mayor Calls for Central Dispatch, Green Taxi Fleet
Mayor Gavin Newsom has challenged the Taxi Commission and taxi industry to create a centralized dispatch system, and called for conversion of the entire taxi fleet to environmentally friendly vehicles by 2011. The ideas were contained in the mayor's State of the City address, delivered Oct. 26 at Phillip Burton High School.
Newsom devoted considerable time to taxi issues in the speech, discussing cab service in the context of San Francisco's transit first policy. “I think we can all agree that the more people who get out of their cars and use alternative transit - the better this city is going to be for everyone,” he said. “Another way of doing this is to have safe, reliable and affordable taxi service.”
The mayor said he had written the Taxi Commission asking that all...
click here to read this article and the full state of the city speach

Companies Use Scare Tactics on Drivers and Permit Holders Holders It was as predictable as the rising of the sun: cab companies would take the low road in their quest for higher gates. Yellow and Luxor each posted identical notices at their garages leading up to a crucial hearing of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Board of Supervisors on whether to raise gates and meter rates. “Because 'gates' have not properly been adjusted for inflation,” the notices read, both companies would soon begin phasing out the leasing of taxis by the shift in favor of monthly leases...

click here to read this article

The notice on the left was posted at Yellow and Luxor as the Board of Supervisors considered whether to raise gates and meter rates. The letter on the right was sent to permit holders to get them to come to aBudget and Finance Committee hearing on the subject. In case you're wondering about “the lunatics” behind the “mad scheme” of a health care plan for all cab drivers - that would be UTW.

At the Taxi Commission
The Taxi Commission meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m., in room 400 of City Hall. Special meetings may be scheduled as needed. The following is a summary of significant commission proceedings at recent meetings:
click here to read this article
The SHORT LINE
File under “What else is new?”: A report on Los Angeles cab drivers by two UCLA researchers has concluded that drivers work too many hours for too little pay. The study, entitled “Driving Poor,” says a typical driver makes $8.39 an hour and drives 72 hours a week on average. Sixty-one percent have no health insurance. Extreme stress and chronic back and leg injuries are common. The study found that drivers lacked worker protections and were exploited by co-ops although they were nominally co-op members. It also reported that drivers were rigging meters, which one city official attributed to high gas prices. Law professor Gary Blasi, one of the study's co-authors, referred to cab drivers as “something like sharecroppers on wheels.” Reported in the Los Angeles Times, 9/25/06

Taxi Pick-ups, SFO January-September 2000-2006

Year	Pick-ups	% Change from prev. yr.	% Change from 2000
2000	1,270,782	-	-
2001	1,096,703	-13.7	-13.7
2002	874,204	-20.3	-31.2
2003	741,325	-15.2	-41.7
2004	800,712	+ 8.3	-37.0
2005	857,686	+ 7.1	-32.5
2006	902,362	+ 5.2	-29.0

Problems at SFO?
Taxi drivers who observe problems or have disputes with dispatchers inside the garage or at the terminal stands at San Francisco International Airport should contact the on-duty shift manager at one of the following numbers:
(650) 821-2700 or (650) 821-2704
Problems or complaints can also be addressed to Landside Operations: (650) 821-6528

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Report Illegal Limo-Taxis
If you witness limousines acting as taxis or out-of-town or unlicensed cabs picking up in San Francisco, please report the following to the Taxi Detail: 1) date and time; 2) location; 3) license plate; 4) if a limo, the TCP number; 4) if an out-of-town cab, the company and cab number; 5) any phone number on the vehicle. The number to call 24 hours a day is 553-1447.

Questions for Cab Drivers
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and shaking the taxi industry for the past number of years:

If your answer to all these questions is
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