LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF DC CAB DRIVERS, JULY 3, 2011
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In Prince George’s, the County Council is considering undoing legislation that has been in effect for only six months, and was passed into law just a year ago. Last year’s legislation, County Bill (CB) 36, gives medallions directly to individual taxicab drivers, instead of to the few companies that dominate the industry.
The Washington Post noted of last year’s CB-36: “[It] ordered the county to issue 400 new medallions [to independent drivers] and add more in the next few years, depending on how the system was working.”
But now, with only 254 medallions given to independent drivers, the County Council is considering CB 3, legislation that would stop the remaining 146 medallions from being issued. What’s more, CB 3 “allows individuals to sell medallions to cab companies, allowing companies to control as much as 75 percent of the market,” writes Prince George’s County Councilmember Mary Lehman in today’s Washington Post.
In a must-read piece, Lehman writes, “In an effort to create economic opportunity for individual taxi drivers and bring balance to an industry long monopolized by a handful of companies, last July the Prince George’s County Council unanimously adopted a bill to increase the number of taxi licenses.
“The push for repeal is unwarranted and premature — and it would return Prince George’s to an unfair market that gives cab companies the upper hand and exploits independent drivers.”
District 1 Councilmember Lehman continues, “This is a classic David vs. Goliath struggle. On one side are the taxi companies with their heavyweight attorney, former county executive Wayne K. Curry. On the other side are the independent drivers, many of whom are immigrants and want what all Americans want — to make a decent living and provide for their families.
“This is a subject I care deeply about,” writes Lehman. “My late father, Richard Hensel, provided for our family of eight by supplementing his D.C. firefighter salary as a taxi driver for Diamond Cab in the District. After a heart condition forced him into early retirement from the fire department, he drove full-time for more than 20 years. It was good, honest work, but the hours were long and we saw little of him, because, when he was not driving, he was catching up on sleep.
“In Prince George’s County, what has stood between independent drivers and economic security is a system that is reminiscent of the sharecropper system in the Old South in which poor white and black farmers could never get ahead. While cab companies pay the county $200 per year per licensed vehicle, drivers who affiliate with those companies pay a staggering $335 per week — or about 50 percent of their earnings — to essentially rent the license from the corporate holder.
“The 2010 law corrected that imbalance by allowing more permits for independent drivers via a lottery system. Alarmed by the prospect of losing their stranglehold on the market, cab companies filed suit against the county in the fall, but the plaintiffs withdrew their complaint, knowing they could not win in court. Instead they persuaded County Council member William A. Campos (D-Hyattsville) to sponsor legislation to repeal the law.”
Councilmember Mary Lehman finishes with these words, “Above all, this debate is one of social and economic justice. These independent drivers are the working poor. They are a fiercely proud bunch, not looking for a government handout but a level playing field on which they can compete fairly.
“County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, who is mostly supportive of the legislation, says he wants to take Prince George’s from “good to great.” We will never reach that destination as long as the county sanctions the kind of gross economic disparity that the Campos legislation would perpetuate.
“If Baker is sincere in his desire to take the county in a new direction, he should send a clear signal to the council that this bill goes too far and should be significantly amended or rejected.”
June 21, the Prince George’s County Council held a hearing on CB 3. Testifying against the legislation were drivers and their allies, including members of the interfaith social justice group PRISCM, or Partners for Renewal in Southern and Central Maryland.
Father Columban Crotty, a PRISCM member and pastor of St. Margaret’s of Scotland Catholic Church, said last year’s legislation should be left alone because: “It allows taxicab drivers the opportunity to be independent from the three individuals that monopolize the industry.”
[Father Columban Crotty]
The Prince George’s County Taxi Workers Alliance has led the way in organizing drivers. Later in the program we’ll be joined in studio by one of the group’s leaders, Getachew Mengesha. We’ll discuss CB 3 with Mengesha, which may be voted on as early as this coming Tuesday.
In the District of Columbia, calls for the elimination of the Taxicab Commission are growing.
June 22, the D.C. Taxicab Commission held a public meeting at the U.S. Park Police headquarters in Anacostia Park. Two reporters – myself and Jim Epstein of Reason TV – were arrested by Park Police officers, apparently on the order of the Taxicab Commission. Epstein’s video of the arrest has gone viral, touching off a firestorm of criticism and calls for the elimination of the Taxicab Commission.
But The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers has called for the Taxicab Commission to be reformed, not eliminated. Carolyn Robinson, board member of the Small Business Association, discussed the importance of keeping alive the beleaguered Taxicab Commission.
[Carolyn Robinson]
Friday, in an extended conversation with Bruce DePuyt on NewsChannel8’s NewsTalk, Mayor Vincent Gray discussed a number of taxi issues, including medallions, the recent arrests, and the future of the Taxicab Commission.
[Mayor Gray on NewsTalk]
Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, as chair of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, has oversight of the Taxicab Commission. Speaking to Harry Jaffe of the Examiner, Wells said, “I don’t know if the commission ever worked… Do we need one? I’m looking at an overhaul, and what happened the other day [with the arrests] proves the need even more,” Wells said. Jaffe’s column is entitled “D.C. Taxicab Commission puts itself out of commission.”
June 24, on WAMU’s The Politics Hour, resident political analyst Tom Sherwood of NBC4 discussed Wells’ interest in eliminating the Taxicab Commission.
[Tom Sherwood]
Later in The Politics Hour on WAMU, Sherwood once again touched on Wells’ interest in eliminating the Taxicab Commission.
[Tom Sherwood]
Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, appearing on NewsChannel8’s NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt, also discussed the possible elimination of the Taxicab Commission.
[Councilmember Evans]
In a recent piece, entitled “Fix the Taxi Commission, or abolish it?“, David Alpert, editor at large of Greater Greater Washington, writes, “The DC Taxicab Commission has a problem dealing with reporters, but that’s far from the only problem with the Commission. Does it need reform, or should it be abolished entirely?”
Alpert continues, “Perhaps instead of a Taxi Commission, the agency should report to the Mayor like most other agencies. In fact, 2 current [Taxicab Commission] members are also [District Department of Transportation] employees, Scott Kubly and Ralph Burns, [who are] from the division overseeing the Circulator, streetcars and Capital Bikeshare. If the Mayor wants administration officials setting taxi policy, they could simply set it directly,” writes Greater Greater Washington’s David Alpert, who will be joining us next week here on The Voice of DC Cab Drivers to discuss the future of the Taxicab Commission.
Responding to calls to eliminate the Taxicab Commission, Haimanot Bizuayehu, board member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Driver, said last week, “It is obvious that the Taxicab Commission has a problem at the moment and is in need of reform, but I do not believe that abolishing the commission is the answer to the problem.”
The 1985 Taxicab Commission Establishment Act calls for three industry representatives to be on the Commission. Presently, there are none.
Appearing on NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt on Tuesday, I raised the issue of the lack of driver representation on the Commission and discussed the possibility that the elimination of the Taxicab Commission could further disenfranchise drivers.
[NewsTalk]
Here’s another clip from Tuesday’s NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt on NewsChannel8.
[NewsTalk]
Following the lead of the Pleasant Plains Civic Association and the ANC 1B Transportation Committee, the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations recently passed a resolution in opposition to the medallion bill. The Federation consists of some 40 different civic organizations. Thursday, Robert Vinson Brannum, president of the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, discussed the resolution.
[Robert Vinson Brannum]
This is The Voice of DC Cab Drivers, brought to you by Dominion of Cab Drivers, a member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers.
The Small Business Association consists of the following driver-owned cab companies and associations: Allied, Ambassador, Black Pearl, Camel, DC Professional Taxicab Drivers’ Association, Dominion, Grand, Luxury, Pleasant, Seasons, Swift, Travelers, UCC, Washingtonian, Welcome, and Wonder Cab.
For those interested in becoming a member of The Small Business Association of DC Taxicab Drivers you can find out more information at any of the driver owned companies that make up The Association, such as UCC, Luxury and Grand.
Ermias Wosenu, a board member of The Small Business Association, organizes the popular Saturday night Amharic phone conference. For those speaking Amharic, every Saturday night from 9:00-11:00 p.m., you can learn about the latest issues facing D.C. taxicab drivers. The number for the toll-free conference is (712) 432-3100 and the code 140 465.
In this morning’s Sunday Washington Post, just above Councilmember Lehman’s piece, local labor journalist Brian Tierney has a piece entitled “The war on D.C. taxi drivers.” Last week, we interviewed Tierney here on The Voice of DC Cab Drivers.
[Brian Tierney]
We now turn to our discussion with Getachew Mengesha, one of the leading organizers of the Prince George’s County Taxi Workers Alliance.
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