Portland observer., February 01, 2012, Page 11, Image 11

February I. 2012_____________________
tk - port |and Observer
Making Below
Minimum
w o rk 12 h o u rs, I c a n ’t m ak e a n y ­
th in g , an d if you take a day o ff,
w eekly fee, called a “k itty ,” w hich y o u still h av e to p a y .”
E v en in the c u rre n t state o f a
a v e ra g e s a p p ro x im a te ly $ 5 0 0 p er
p
o
o
r eco n o m y , the c o m p an ies still
w eek p aid d ire c tly to the co m p an y
m ak e “ so m u ch m o n e y ,” w h ile
they w o rk under.
A c c o rd in g to B e ra k a H ab te, d riv e rs stru g g le , he said .
“ B ut d o I h a v e a c h o ic e ? ” he
w ho has w o rk ed as a taxi d riv e r for
e ig h t y e a rs, a lth o u g h the w o rk a sk ed . “ I h av e go t to s u rv iv e .”
A lth o u g h the low h o u rly w ag es
can be fun, the kitty fee is a s ig n ifi­
c a n t fa c to r in d e te rm in in g low are c o n siste n t w ith th o se fo u n d
w ag es fo r the fu ll-tim e p ro fe s ­ in o th e r U .S. c itie s, he said i t ’s
h a rd e r to m ak e en d s m eet in P o rt­
sio n al ta x i d riv er.
“ I pay th e c o m p a n y $ 5 8 0 each lan d b e ca u se o f the h ig h n u m b e r
w eek, an d so m e tim e s it is h a rd ,” o f tax i d riv e rs, as w ell as an e ffi­
he said. “ B u sin e ss has b e en slow c ie n t p u b lic tra n s p o rta tio n sy s­
tem , o ffe rin g c o m p e titio n .
all th is m o n th .”
The report found, however, average
A c c o rd in g to th e re p o rt, d riv e r
w ag es are not s u p p le m e n te d w ith wages are higher and working hours are
h e alth care or re tire m e n t b e n e fits, shorter, for drivers at the one Portland
p a id v a c a tio n o r sick leav e. D riv­ driver-owned taxi company.
“T h is is n o t an easy is s u e ,”
ers also often w ork 12 to 14 hour
said M ay o r A dam s. “ B ut this study
days, six days a w eek.
O ne tax i d riv e r, w h o re fu se d to p ro v id e s an e x c e lle n t b a sis on
g iv e his n am e in fear o f b ein g w h ich to m ak e im p ro v em e n ts that
fired , said he h ad b e en aw ak e w ill d ire c tly im p act the w o rk in g
sin ce 4 a.m . on M o n d ay , e v en c o n d itio n s o f o u r c ity ’s taxi d riv ­
th o u g h he h ad y e t to h av e one ers. W e can , an d m u st, d o b e tte r.”
T h e P o rtla n d R ev en u e B u reau
c u sto m e r a fte r sev e ra l h o u rs.
“ B ec a u se w e pay th e m $ 5 0 0 a is seek in g co m m en ts fro m taxi cab
w eek, if you tak e a day o ff, you are in d u s try s ta k e h o ld e rs a n d th e
b e h in d ,” he said . “ B ut if I d o n ’t p u b lic at large.
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3
c u t usage by
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can SAVE
UP TO
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B lack H ¡StOiy M o n th
_________________________ Page"
REED
Black History Month
programming at Reed is
developed and cosponsored
by the Multicultural
Enrichment Committee and
the Office for Institutional
Diversity.
All events are free and open
to the public,
www. reed, ed u/bh in/
Segregated « » t i n t al railroad depot, Jacksonville Florida. 1921 from State Jr chi»es ot Florida
JAZZ PERFORMANCE: “D ouble Legacy Project"
DARRELL GRANT
The internationally recognized jazz pianist and composer with drum m er Brian Blade,
saxophonist Steve Wilson, and vibraphonist |oe Locke, in an exploration of the legacies
we inherit and those we leave behind.
February 11, 8 p.m., Kaul Auditorium
LECTURE: "Race, Racism, and Discrimination in America"
CHARLES J. OGLETREE JR.
Harvard Law School's Jesse Climenko Professor of Law and author of The Presumption
of Guilt; The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates ]r. and Race. Class, and Crime in America.
February 18, 7:30 p.m., Vollum lecture hall
LECTURE: "Obama is No King: Reflections on Presidential Politics and
the Black Prophet Tradition"
GLENN C. LOURY
Brown University's Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Social Sciences and
professor of economics. Cosponsored by the Walter Krause Economics Lectures fund.
February 20, 4:30 p.m., Vollum lecture hall
LECTURE: "The Warmth of Other Suns"
ISABEL WILKERSON
Professor of journalism and director of narrative nonfiction at Boston University
and author of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration.
February 25, 7:30 p.m., Kaul Auditorium
REED COLLEGE
Photo by loo Henson
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