NWLP-02-18-11:NWLP
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BARGAIN COUNTER
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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
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Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published
’31 BUICK 4 door, 4 cyl engine, automatic
transmission, disc brakes, looks original,
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’72 CHEV 3/4, 2wd, LWB, 350-V8, AT/
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’03 WINNEBAGO ADVENTURER, 33’,
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28’ CITATION TRAVEL park trailer, $2,500
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2-28 HP ELECTRIC start Evinrudes, 16’
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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-
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UNIQUE COMBO of storm/security win-
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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,
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CRAFTSMAN AC arc welder, 40 to 230
Mon-Fri 9:30-7:30 Sat 9:30-5:30 Sun 12-6
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A UTOMOTIVE
503-227-2895
T ERRY G. H ANNON
P RESIDENT
E-Mail: solidarity2@earthlink.net
JANUARY 21, 2011