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Staff members of the Asian Law Caucus provide information to drivers during one of two visits to the SFO taxi lot. UTW helped organize the events.

Nonprofit Lawyers
Reach Out to Taxi Drivers
By Shirin Sinnar

On two recent summer Saturdays, lawyers and volunteers from the nonprofit Asian Law Caucus met with taxi drivers at SFO’s main taxi lot to hear from drivers about their working conditions, concerns, and legal questions. The Asian Law Caucus is a San Francisco-based organization that advocates for the legal and civil rights of Asian American and immigrant communities.

We heard many concerns from drivers about the challenges they face: compettiion from illegal limos, the pressure to pay tips to doormen and dispatchers, injuries on the job, police harassment, the constant stress of driving, concerns with cab company leasing practices, and the loss of money from the recent shutdown of Union Cab. We also found that many drivers had questions about immigration, including queries about green card applications, applying for citizenship, or bringing family members from back home.

One reason for visiting the SFO taxi lot was to let taxi drivers know about the range of legal services available to people for free or at low cost. For example, twice a month on Thursday evenings, the Asian Law Caucus has a free legal clinic where our lawyers help people answer immigration questions. In some cases, we represent people who are fighting deportation, trying to naturalize, or adjust immigration status. Please call Sin Yen Ling at the Asian Law Cauc us for more information, (415) 848-7710.

We also provide advice and referrals about employment discrimination and civil rights. We help workers who feel they have been denied a job because of their national origin, accent, citizenship status, religion, or other improper reasons. We also help people who feel they have been treated wrongly by the government
because of their race, religion, or national origin. For these types of questions, please call Shirin Sinnar at the Asian Law Caucus, (415) 848 -7714.

We can provide interpreters in Vietnamese, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Cantonese, and Mandarin, if you let us know of your language need.

We look forward to better understanding the concerns of San Francisco taxi workers, and encourage you to call us with your thoughts.