Northwest labor press., May 03, 2013, Page 2, Image 2

Union-affiliated cab company hits the streets of Portland
A union-affiliated cab company
made its debut April 19, opening for
business on the streets of Portland for a
test run before a formal launch in late
May.
Nearly all of Union Cab’s 50 or-
ange-and-blue vehicles are brand-new,
most of them Toyota Prius hybrids, and
they’re equipped with dashboard com-
puters and a digital dispatch system that
uses GPS to help drivers respond
quickly to service requests.
The launch is the culmination of a
years-long effort by a group of immi-
grant drivers who campaigned against
exploitation by several Portland cab
companies, helped by Communications
Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901
and the Oregon AFL-CIO. A City of
Portland study found that taxi drivers,
classed as independent contractors, av-
erage less than $6.22 an hour after pay-
ing “kitties” of over $500 a week to
companies like Broadway. But at the
one driver-owned co-op — Radio Cab
— kitties were lower, and earnings
higher. In November, Portland City
Council approved 50 new taxi permits
so that Union Cab could form as a sec-
ond driver-owned co-op. [Like most
cities, Portland regulates the taxi indus-
try, and limits the number of taxis that
may operate.]
In January, Union Cab leased an of-
fice at 14415 SE Stark. Union Cab’s
new driver-owners haven’t yet secured
affordable health insurance, a major
goal. But they’re the first taxi drivers in
Portland to have comprehensive auto
insurance for their vehicles. They also
plan to obtain occupational accident in-
surance, since as independent contrac-
tors, they aren’t eligible for workers’
compensation if they are injured on the
job in a collision.
Customers can call 503-408-1234
— 24 hours a day, seven days a week
— and be picked up by a Union Cab,
driven by a member of CWA Local
7901.
Union Cab general manager Kedir
Wako said plans for the grand opening
...City of Portland park rangers want a union
(From Page 1)
at one time.”
Sachs (permanent) makes $17 an
hour and has health insurance, sick
leave, vacation, and a retirement bene-
fit. His partner (seasonal) does the same
work for $11 an hour, with no benefits
and a looming termination date.
“Eleven dollars an hour. Honestly,
it’s insulting,” Sachs said.
Armed only with pepper mace, the
rangers patrol parks to enforce bans on
camping, drinking alcohol without a
permit, and letting dogs run off-leash
outside of designated areas. After two
weeks of training in “verbal judo,” re-
port writing, and radio handling, they
head out to provide a security presence.
Last July, it was Sachs and his part-
ner Asa Arden who — based on a de-
scription from a jogger who’d been at-
tacked on the Wildwood Trail — led
police to a homeless camper who was
later convicted of several rape and sex-
ual assault charges.
And last June, it was ranger Brian
Tierney who discovered the body of
teenager Mayra Sophia Cruz Rodriguez
in Washington Park; a homeless man-
was later convicted of her murder and
that of Nikayla Powell.
“We’ve shown our worth,” says
Sachs, who used to work as a Mult-
nomah County Sheriff’s deputy. “We’re
the eyes and ears of the City in the
parks.”
But at the end of an eight-month
“season,” most rangers have unemploy-
ment to look forward to. There’s no
guarantee of reemployment the follow-
ing year, and generally, only about a
third of them return.
“It’s stressful for me and my family,”
says seasonal ranger Vicente Harrison, a
35-year-old father of two. Harrison —
one of eight bike-riding rangers respon-
sible for patrolling 21 downtown parks
— says he loves the job: interacting
with people, helping visitors, directing
the homeless to services. But come
September, he’ll be out of a job.
Askin says Local 483’s campaign to
unionize rangers is part of a larger cam-
paign against City reliance on low-
wage, no-benefit, part-time, temporary
and seasonal workers.
include a celebration with AFL-CIO
and CWA Local 7901, and a day-long
offer of free taxi service to the public.
The date had not yet been scheduled as
of press time.
If all goes as planned, later this year
customers will be able to reserve a cab
at Union Cab’s web site, union-
cabpdx.com; by text message; and even
via a smartphone app.
...ATU #757
(From Page 1)
However, for TriMet to condition
bargaining on prior receipt of ATU pro-
posals would violate Oregon’s Public
Employee Collective Bargaining Act
(PECBA), Hansen replied April 29.
PECBA says the two sides must meet
and negotiate; neither side may require
the other to submit written proposals in
advance.
Hansen listed 16 dates the union
could meet in May and June, and noted
that the two sides did agree [before
Stedman ended the talks] that 18 spe-
cific media organizations, plus radio
and television, could attend.
“It is my hope that you will honor
that small point of agreement,” Hansen
wrote, “and join with the Union in
inviting those media representatives to
our first bargaining session.”
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NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MAY 3, 2013