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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2011)
NWLP-02-18-11:NWLP 2/15/11 9:54 AM Page 6 BARGAIN COUNTER E E FR Who’s On Our Side? Free classified ads to subscribers By Tom Chamberlain I magine a job where a worker’s shift is 14 hours long, seven days a week. No sick leave, no health care, vacation or workers’compensation. Oh, I forgot to mention: You also have to pay your employer as much as $580 a week for the privilege of working for their com- pany. Of course, we all know such em- ployment relations could never happen in America. Right?! These are the working conditions more than 400 Portland cab drivers experience every day. They are forced to pay the company up to $580 a week for dispatch and advertising, whether the driver works or not. Want to go on vacation? Pay the taxi company the $1,160 dispatch fee during your two- week vacation while your taxi cab sits idle. On a good month, a cab driver earns about $4,000 plus tips — after paying the taxi company $2,320 and setting aside a little tip to their dis- patcher for sending fares their way. On a bad month, cabbies pay the same fees and lose money. This is a system designed to make profits for the company while the cabby shoul- ders all the risk — paying company fees and maintenance and gas on the cabs most of them are required to own. Taxi companies get away with this form of indentured servitude because they classify cab drivers as independ- ent contractors. But cabbies work for one company and the company has di- rection and control of the cabbies’ work activities. Recently, the Oregon Employment Department audited taxi companies and ruled that cabbies do not meet federal criteria for independ- ent contractor status and are therefore entitled to Oregon unemployment in- surance benefits. Translation: the taxi companies now have to pay the unem- ployment tax like any other employer. At this point many of you are won- dering why the cabbies don’t rise up and fight the taxi companies. Fear is the main reason; many cabbies are re- cent immigrants from Eastern Africa trying to learn English, make a living and settle in to their new home. Those individuals who do speak out often find themselves without a job. It’s no surprise that when the taxi companies circulated a petition to support Ore- gon Senate Bill 257 to exempt cabbies from unemployment insurance, the cabbies signed it. This same tactic was used decades ago to exempt cabbies from Oregon workers’ compensation. I would be unfair if I didn’t men- tion that Radio Cab is different. It is a co-op: the drivers own the company, they determine the fees (currently $200 versus $580 a week), they deter- mine how the company operates, what benefits are provided, etc. Most cabbies want to work for Radio Cab but can’t because their fleet is limited and preference is given to veterans. Recently, I met with Communica- tion Workers of America Local 7901 President Madelyn Elder and a group of courageous cabbies who are fight- ing for their rights. Based upon a co- op model, they have developed a busi- ness plan and found financial backing to start a new cab company in Port- land — Union Cab. The fate of Union Cab is now in the hands of the City of Portland, which will make a final decision whether or not they can operate in Portland, and how many cabs they can operate. At this point, the CWA cabbies are forced to stay in the shadows, still fearful of company reprisals, remain- ing silent on legislation that would eliminate their benefits. Instead, we will be standing with CWA fighting to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect and ensure that no one rolls back their unemployment insur- ance benefits in Salem. Who is on your side, Portland cab- bies? CWA 7901. By choosing to sup- port co-op cab companies and, once they’re formed, Union Cab, you can be too. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. March 7-10, 2011 Portland, Oregon Oregon Governor’s Occupational Safety & Health Conference Occupational safety and health solutions for NEW! Columbia Forklift Challenge Construction General industry Healthcare Manufacturing Public agencies DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication Published 1st and 3rd Fridays Now accepting e-mails Send to: Michael492@comcast.net Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213 (Please include union affiliation) • 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue • All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) • Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published ’31 BUICK 4 door, 4 cyl engine, automatic transmission, disc brakes, looks original, runs good, $15,000. 503-655 6728 ’72 CHEV 3/4, 2wd, LWB, 350-V8, AT/ PS/PB/AC, custom camper/Cheyenne, straight, runs great, $3,700. 503-568-6159 LEER CANOPY, black, fits ’04 Dodge long box, dome/brake lights, sliders front/sides. 503-761-1133 H OUSING LINCOLN CITY vacation rental, 3 bdrm, 2 bath, $95/night, sleeps 8, wi-fi, 2 blocks to beach, 4 blocks to casino. 503-804-7976 ROCKAWAY BEACH vacation rental, 3 bed, 2 bath, sleeps 10, 4 blocks to beach/shops. 503-754-6101 or 236-7004 GOLF ANYONE? Bandon, OR vacation rental, 3 bedroom 2 bath, 2 blocks to beach $150/night 541-391-9918. ROCKAWAY ocean front, 503-777-5076, right on the beach, only sand and surf, 5 bdrms, 2 bath, call for winter special WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you won a home? contest runs until March 31, go to winhomeforalaugh.com. 206-497-5216 LEASE HOUSE, 4 bed, 2 bath, yard, garage, pets okay, Reed College area, de- posits, $1,950/month. 503-502-1266 S PORTING G OODS ’03 WINNEBAGO ADVENTURER, 33’, 30K, dr. door, 2 slides, ex cond, $70,000. 503 285-8691 28’ CITATION TRAVEL park trailer, $2,500 OBO. 503 786-7742 2-28 HP ELECTRIC start Evinrudes, 16’ boat and trailer, $2,000. 503 245-2026 PAGE 6 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS W ANTED MOTORCYCLES — dirt, street, mopeds, quads, parts, cash paid, will pick up. 503- 880-8183 JUNK CARS, removal of unwanted cars and pickups. 503-314-8600 COLLECTOR PAYS cash for older toys, oil paintings, art pottery, taxco silver and unique items. 503-703-5952 OLD WOODWORKING tools, planes, lev- els, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes, wrenches, folding rulers, leather tools, tool chests. 503-659-0009 SILVER COINS, US and Canadian, union brother collector pays top money for all small amounts. 503-806-6287 1949 or 1950 MERCURY and 1950 thru 1953 Ford engine, trans, running gear or parts. 503 852-6791 F OR T HE H OME SS DOUBLE SINK, faucet, baskets, 8" deep sink, good condition, $75 firm. 503- 558-1844 36” KITCHENAID, 6-burner ceramic cook- top, Maytag dishwasher, 30” Whirlpool builtin oven, white, $150 all. 360-263-4960 UNIQUE COMBO of storm/security win- dow for a 17”h x 34”w basement window casing, $65 OBO. 503 -753-1714 ʻAmerican Madeʼ in the Northwest M ISCELLANEOUS 2 SPACES, underground vaults/double marker at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Vancouver, $3,700 obo. 360-901-6089 ELECTRIC MOTOR, 5hr, new single, pHs, 3400 RPM, $400. 503-643-6897 (Dale) CRAFTSMAN AC arc welder, 40 to 230 Mon-Fri 9:30-7:30 Sat 9:30-5:30 Sun 12-6 • Investment Consulting/Monitoring for Union Pension Plans only. • Many years of experience actually managing Pension Fund money. • Serving Union Pension Plans for 48 years as either Administrator, Attorney, Investment Manager or Investment Consultant. Register now! www.oregongosh.com The GOSH Conference is a joint effort of the ASSE Columbia-Willamette Chapter and Oregon OSHA. amps, used for hobbies, helmet/extras, works great, $150 obo. 360-256-0391 A UTOMOTIVE 503-227-2895 T ERRY G. H ANNON P RESIDENT E-Mail: solidarity2@earthlink.net JANUARY 21, 2011
