From the Chicago Dispatcher, August 2007

Snakes in the Morning
American Friends Service Committee hurt the strike more than they helped

Last Tuesday must have been a real embarrassment for the American Friends Service Committee. While they have been talking for months about organizing Chicago cabdrivers, a couple of young, independent cabdrivers organized and executed the most successful strike the industry has seen in several years - and it only took them less than a week.

The idea of a strike came from Amer Razzaq, a cabdriver who was sick of getting hit with tickets and being harassed. Amer sought the help of his friend Melissa Callahan, a fellow cabdriver with just seven months experience. Amer thought that Melissa was the perfect person to organize and lead a strike. She's confident and articulate and Amer thought that drivers would believe in her more than they would in other drivers or even himself.

But even though Melissa didn't have a lot of experience in the taxi industry, she had already been ticketed a few times and forced to leave the O'Hare International Airport taxi lot without a fare after a long wait each time. And not only would she have to leave the O'Hare lot but she'd also have to go to court for that ticket - all because she had the misfortune of leasing a cab with problems that weren't her responsibility to fix. Though she had only been on the job for a few months, she was fed up too and saw the frustration of other drivers. She wanted to help.

On July 25th Melissa and Amer agreed to meet with other friends at Flaming Wok Grill at Chicago and Halsted to discuss the strike. Melissa had picked the day of the strike by checking the convention schedule at McCormick Place. She wanted to hit the city on a busy convention day. Other drivers who just happened to be at the restaurant took an interest in the idea of a strike and began to contribute money to print fliers. Melissa typed up the flier and the next day she made copies.

The fliers announced the strike date of Tuesday, July 31st and the main grievances, which included excessive tickets and a fare increase. It had no organization name. It had no contact person. It had no phone number. It had no Web site. The message to drivers was clear - this was about driver problems. That's it. Nobody was trying to claim credit for their group or achieve personal fame. They wanted a change.

Melissa and Amer pounded the pavement and talked to any cabdriver who would listen. Some of their fellow cabbies contributed too, helping pass out fliers here and there.

On the day of the strike, Melissa & Co. wanted Chicago to be a ghost town for taxicabs. That was her hope for all drivers. For herself, she was going to take the day off to take her son to Great America. Since taxi drivers can't afford to take too many days off, that would be the perfect opportunity to enjoy herself and have some family time after all the long hours she would put in. The night before she would fax the major media outlets to let them know about the strike and then she would be gone.

The legwork was getting exhausting. The strike was just a couple of days away and they knew that not all taxi drivers in Chicago knew about the strike yet.

Then the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) slithered in, offering to “help” by printing fliers. Of course these new fliers would now have their name and contact information as endorsers of the strike.

Melissa wanted Chicago to be a ghost town for cabs but these geniuses encouraged cabbies to come by their downtown office and drive in circles. This created a last-minute mixed message.

They also took it upon themselves to change Melissa's strategy. Whereas Melissa wanted to observe the strike by taking some well-deserved time off, the AFSC decided that she was wrong and that she should come to a press conference. After all, they're the smart ones. They know what's best for cabdrivers.

Of course the press conference would be at their office, in front of their podium, with their company name behind it for the cameras to see. And even though they claimed that they were just hosting the press conference to help Melissa and her cause, it didn't stop Prateek Sampat, the AFSC's Director of their Taxi Workers Organizing Project from seizing the mic first to talk about how great they are. It also didn't stop him from crowding the podium to get his face on camera and field questions.

Now here's the interesting thing: Melissa has a lot of talent and determination - that's certain. But what she doesn't have is experience talking to the media and she will be the first to tell you that she can't quote all the rules and regulations chapter and verse. So why would the AFSC want to push her in front of television cameras? I mean Melissa has a lot of great qualities but addressing the media isn't one of them.

If I were a boxing trainer and I had a very talented boxer under my wing who had a great punch and was quick as lightening, but very inexperienced, would I put him in the ring with the heavyweight champion right away? Only if I didn't care about him or had some other interest in mind.

So whose interest was the AFSC acting in by pushing her in front of the cameras? The answer is the obvious one - their own. You see, the AFSC didn't want Melissa to go to the press conference because they thought she would be a forceful, authoritative speaker. They wanted to paint her as a victim so that they could step in and show everyone how they are the ones fighting for her survival. But the most disgraceful thing had to be when Mike McConnell, regional director for the AFSC, suggested that Melissa bring her children to the press conference. Melissa said no. Melissa Callahan is no victim. Her children are not props for the AFSC.

And in spite of these people setting up Melissa for failure, she did just fine. Rough around the edges but for her first time with all that pressure, nobody could have done better.

So why should the AFSC latch on like leeches to Melissa's success? Maybe it's because they have failed time and time again and have done more to hurt Chicago cabdrivers rather than help them.

This is the same group who planned to march to City Hall a couple of months ago to “demand” a surcharge. Apparently they called the media to tell them they were going to storm City Hall with an army of cab drivers. Well hardly any drivers even showed up and the Transportation Committee basically told them to get lost.

Now they're yapping to the media that they demand a 25 percent fare increase for cabbies. First of all, why do they continue to run to the media and embarrass themselves and even worse, us? The rules are very clear. Get a petition of 10 percent of the drivers, submit it, and the city will consider it. But these guys seem to think that they don't have to follow the rules. Or maybe they didn't know the procedure at the time they ran to the media. Or maybe they just didn't care - maybe getting their names in the paper is more important than a fare increase for the drivers they claim to represent.
Why don't they simply follow the rules and get signatures from drivers to submit? Shouldn't drivers be the ones who should say if they want a fare increase and for how much? But why should they ask us? They know what's good for us better than we do.

Now they're saying that they are getting signatures for a petition. Thanks guys. Way to go. While you were up there demanding that the city do this and that, you should have been getting signatures and asking for it first. Only if you've exhausted the appropriate channels do you make public demands and then, when cabdrivers see that you have made an honest effort, they will get behind you.

Some other independent cabdrivers have decided to do things the right way and collect signatures on their own. They would like to collect the signatures and submit them to the city themselves. The AFSC claims that they have been collecting signatures. Well if the AFSC really wants to help, I suggest they unconditionally turn their petitions over to these independents. The independents I talked to who are collecting signatures as I write this would like for Melissa to be the one to submit these petitions. Will the AFSC turn over their signatures (if they actually have any) to the independents for them to turn in or will they only do it if they get to lead some media circus to City Hall? We'll see.

The mass media is a very powerful tool but it has to be used the right way. If you keep running to the media and exaggerating things, the media will eventually lose interest and the city loses some incentive to pay attention to you.

My guess is that the media doesn't take the blowhards at the AFSC very seriously anymore. I know I don't. The AFSC has cried wolf one too many times. Is it any wonder that the media didn't give the strike the attention it deserved? The media coverage of the strike didn't accurately reflect the significance of the strike. Yes, there were cabs working downtown and at McCormick Place but the O'Hare and Midway airport cab lots, which can collectively hold several hundred cabs at a given time, were nearly empty most of the day.

But the media got word that there would be some big rally at the AFSC office. So when there wasn't one because they once again failed to gather support of the drivers, what other conclusion could the media draw?

But let's take a step back for a second. Who is the American Friends Service Committee? Who gave them the authority to represent you and me? They're not cab drivers. Prateek Sampat is not a cabdriver and neither is his boss Mike McConnell.

The AFSC has no more right to represent me than I do them. Hey, there's a thought. I have just appointed myself as the champion of all employees of the American Friends Service Committee. I have decided that they don't make enough money and are not treated with respect. I have decided how much of a raise they should get. Now I'm calling on all employees of American Friends Service Committee to drive their cars in circles while I hold a press conference to show everyone all that I'm doing to help these poor *******s. Don't forget to bring your kids.

- George Lutfallah, CL# 79310

Thanks for showing your true colors, George.

You are despicable.

Your "editorial" on AFSC/TWOP is baseless and without merit. Your spew is no more than slanderous, false and incorrect information if not a product of a genuinely sick, demented mind.

You are a traitor to the taxi workers' rights movement, Mr. George J. Lutfallah.

You have proven yourself to be no more than a hatchet man for the City.

You gave CPTDA the hatchet job when you took advantage of Ted’s personal beef with Wiedersberg and turned it into a BS story, now you shaft TWOP with your scurrilous accusations. You stabbed Ted and CPTDA in the back, traitor.

Now you stabbed TWOP in the back, too. The Mayor should award you a Medal of Dishonor.

If another wild cat organization starts up, you will probably give Ms. Callahan the shaft next.

T r a i t o r !

The least, you owe Mr. Sampat and company an apology and a retraction of your lies and false and incorrect opinions. But it's not enough that you apologize to AFSC and TWOP.

You need to beg for their forgiveness on your hands and knees for your outlandish hatchet job on a group of world-renowned and respected human rights advocates whose only interest is raising the standards of the taxicab community.

They threw their support behind this so-called strike and you tried to make it look like an attempt to subvert the movement.

You are the subversive. Does the City pay you off for your subversion?

You need to write and publish a nice long, sincere and honest retraction of your false and incorrect statements.
How dare you sign off with your CL number! T r a i t o r !

If I had any say or sway with AFSC/TWOP, I would urge and recommend and beg and plead if necessary, that they file a tortuous interference lawsuit against you and your mud-slinging rag! (Look up the law, traitor, you broke it, you should get nailed for it!)

You have abrogated your duty to provide truthful, fair and balanced information. How responsible and upright is that? You are no longer and editor, you have demoted yourself to slimy spin artist, propaganda jock, a bull feces purveyor.

My advice is get out of the newspaper business because you don't have a newspaper anymore.

And get out of the taxi business, too, Traitor.


---Wolf Weiss---

Wolf,

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

You said my editorial is "baseless and without merit" but you didn't explain how.

Then you said my "spew is no more than slanderous, false and incorrect information" but didn't offer a single example.

You just resorted to a bunch of third-grade name calling. "Despicable, sick, demented, traitor, hatchet man, subversive, slimy spin artist, propoganda jock, bull feces purveyor."

Not a single example. Any intelligent person will spot that.

But I will say this: At least you are willing to speak up, rather than to just say false things behind my back in a desperate attempt to discredit me.

At least you are man enough to say the false things in public. For that, I respect you.

As far as your accusation of me being a traitor, well that's just ridiculous. There's nobody who would like to see drivers organized more than I would. That's always been and continues to be my position.

I stand behind every word I wrote. I apologize for nothing.

Regards,
George Lutfallah

With all due respect to the likes of you and your kind, kin and ilk:

It is very tempting to address each of the things in your "editorial" that contribute to or render your statements despicable, sick, demented, traitorous, the work of a hatchet man, subversive, slimy spin artist, propaganda jock, bull feces purveyor, but I won't.

I won’t - because you are supposed to be a smart and savvy taxicab man and a critically-thinking media man, so you know exactly where, when, how and why words such as "despicable, sick, demented, traitor, hatchet man, subversive, slimy spin artist, propaganda jock, bull feces purveyor" apply to you and your bogus "editorial."

On calling you a "hatchet man for the City" I humbly correct myself. It is more likely that the interests of certain of your advertisers are at play.

So maybe you can replace "hatchet man" with "panderer; one who caters to or exploits the lower tastes and desires of others."

I will say one thing -- you used the Chicago Dispatcher as your personal sword to propagate your own personal agenda. Your “editorial” is, indeed, an assault with a deadly weapon.

It is not I, but you, yourself that has discredited both you and the Chicago Dispatcher. It is none other than George who has debased himself and his publication.

I think you will understand when I say I don't believe you when you say you respect me. A man who has any self-respect would not write the things you wrote in the first place. A man without self-respect cannot respect others.

Your self-serving rhetorical trick of calling on me to point out your false, incorrect, potential libelous and possible fraudulent statements won't work. (But you should get a legal review for yourself on this.)

Finally, if you really wanted to "see drivers organized" why did you malign TWOP?

I know! You fell in love with Melissa and some of your backers put the pressure on you to try to "bust up" a seemingly real and immediate threat to their nice and cozy status quo.

(You did for love and money -- one is the "root of all evil" one is the basis of all good things in the universe.)

They yanked your leash and you barked. Good boy....

I called you a traitor because this is not the first time you placed your own interests, your own agenda above reporting truthfully and honestly on the real issues at stake.

You stand behind your words? They won't protect you from the truth.

I hear people are working on a laser-guided egg ejection system -- hood or roof mounts available.

It's a hybrid of whole large eggs; star wars technology, lie detector and heat-sensing technology with a fifty foot range.

When you see people with egg on their faces, you will know they have lied about something.

Oh, George, you already have egg on your face!

With all due respect, if any is due,
Wolf

Mr. WOlf. Everything Mr. George said is true. It was harsh yes but it was true.

YOu have said nothing. You just complaine and use fancey words but you don't say nohting.

I dare say that if Mr. George were called upon to substantiate under oath, in court, he would fall far short of proving any of his scurlous allegations.

Of course, out here on the streets, strict rules of evidence do not apply as they do in court.

I challenge Mr. George - and anyone who has first-hand knowledge of these events - to provide me information, facts or law that shows or tends to show that the allegations, claims and contentions Mr. George has set forth in his character assasination of Mr. Sampat have any relation to the truth.

Yes, indeed, I am a complainer. I am probably a better complainer than a taxicab driver!

I never thought of my complaining as fancy.

I can only hope Mr. ALi Rahmani continues to read, think, write and thus be part of the fight -- because we are fighting for our lives , our families and ourt futures.

You are nobody, but you are somebody, and you are not alone finally!

Wolf, “OUCH”, you have been fighting so hard with all your heart. Your demanding list is certainly not long enough, and we are going to help you add more, and more, and make it as long as possible.

Are these people of city council either blind or deaf? What kind of data they are looking for and what is the theory behind for them to deny and delay? Are there more people taking the cabs when the gas price goes up, or the hotter the weather is, less gas the Crown Victoria consumes? Do they lose the data of your mileages taken at each of inspections? Is it the same rule applied to them at the hearing as the one used at the Department of Administrative Hearings, which is so called “prima fascia” evidences, to warrant such demand, or request proceedings? If Mr. Red can not speak any more, his condition should not be considered existed by this administration. Are they going to explain to you the true meaning of accountability from any elected government officials? Are they going to continue to run it this way? Please Wolf, talk to these people for us whenever you have a chance. They speak English, but I don’t do very well.

Faarax, I admire you dearly of your objective opinions posted. I can understand how hard to support families by an ordinary working person like you. I don’t have family here, and I don’t have any children. But I was raised by working parents with total income of less than $50/month along with my sister. Soon, you children will grow up just fine like me. They will understand that their father is not only a loving and caring farther, but also a very strong man with principles. They will understand that it is not right to put too much food in their plates to waste. I never expect that you agree with me, of cause, but we must agree on something. I believe in America. It is not right for this administration to create an environment of Working Poor, and it is very possible that we can make it right by working together. Taxi drivers are facing the same problems all over the country. It can never be one person’s mission to make the change. Union – Taxi Workers’ Alliance will be the right way to go. See for yourself what the follow taxi drivers have been achieved in 17 cities starting from New York. United we can all stand a chance. United we can win!

If you think that you are doing OK, why start to jump out to trouble yourself?

If you feel that your rights and interests are taken away little by little, you should think about your future carefully.

If you have been pushed over the edge against your limit, you should speak up for your own good. What can be worse since you have nothing left to lose against all kinds of possible retaliations?

I am not trying to turn the society upside down as I am a member of it. I am apeaceful person who value the life and like to live in peace. Working people are working people, and there should not be Working Poor in America anywhere. I believe in America!

George, I did not pay close attention of your article until Wolf pointed out. I believe that you are wrong by calling Prateek a snake, a bright young college student who knows very little about the taxi business, and has been trying very hard to bring everyone together. He can make any mistakes disapproved by your standard, but certainly he is not a snake. What is wrong by suggesting Melissa to bring her children to the camera? Don’t you think that they should not know what is right and what is wrong? Don’t you think that they should be proud of their mother standing up for thousands of others who she doesn’t even know? Don’t you think that they should be in front of the camera to have this shining moment recorded together?

George, you know better where real snakes are. You must know the one Deputy Commissioner who has been with DCS longer than anyone. He does not show up most of the time, but he is the conspiracy one for the most of the operations and Jeff Brown must report to him directly. You know who started the business with a very different image from New York. He knows the best how to suck drivers’ blood by a secret hand shake deal with our Mayor. You know very well who owns the worst fleet of cars in town which are barely made to the condition of “drivable”. You must know very well why the city sends inspectors to the airports instead of going to the garages to check the cars. Would it be much easier for them to do so? You know very well that they use drivers to complain to their owners because the hassle situation created to drive the car all the way back? You can’t say too much, and we all know the reason why. I appreciated that you keep this forum open. We understand that business is business, and we all have to find a way to survive. If you are the one who really like to see drivers organized, you surely can be part of this.

Mr. Tang

Mr. Tang:

You wrote, "Wolf, “OUCH”, you have been fighting so hard with all your heart."

What has Wolf ever done except complain and threaten?

You wrote that Prateek is, "a bright young college student who knows very little about the taxi business"

I agree.

You wrote that Prateek, "has been trying very hard to bring everyone together."

How?

You wrote, "What is wrong by suggesting Melissa to bring her children to the camera?"

Read my editorial again. I think I was very clear in my opinion there.

"Don’t you think that they should not know what is right and what is wrong?"

That's what they'd like for you to believe. That they know what's better for you and me than we do. Their attitude is that we need to be taken care of. I say no. We need to take care of ourselves.

You wrote, "George, you know better where real snakes are. You must know the one Deputy Commissioner who has been with DCS longer than anyone. He does not show up most of the time, but he is the conspiracy one for the most of the operations and Jeff Brown must report to him directly."

I don't know who you're talking about.

You wrote, "You know who started the business with a very different image from New York. He knows the best how to suck drivers’ blood by a secret hand shake deal with our Mayor."

I know a lot of people who came out of New York. I don't know who you're referring to specifically. I don't know anything about a secret hand shake deal with our mayor. Neither do you. That's conspiracy theory.

You wrote, "You know very well who owns the worst fleet of cars in town which are barely made to the condition of “drivable”."

I think that the fleet with the worst cars is up for debate, as is the fleet with the best cars.

You wrote, "You must know very well why the city sends inspectors to the airports instead of going to the garages to check the cars."

I don't know why the city does what it does. But if I may speculate, there are a few possible reasons which come to mind. I'm not saying I necessarily agree with all of these reasons but they are possible:

1. Money. By getting a car that's on the road, the city can get money from the driver and the owner.

2. Efficiency. Tell me a single place in the city of Chicago where you could find that many cabs at the same time as there are at O'Hare? There isn't any. Not even close. It would seem to be to be an efficient place to check cars.

3. Public safety and public image. The city doesn't want a cab to sneak through O'Hare or Midway that is dirty or mechanically unsound only for one of our guests of the city to get into it and have an unpleasant or dangerous experience.

4. The airports don't discriminate. If inspectors went to a garage, conspiracy theorists like you and Wolf would say that they were targeting a specific owner.

5. If you go to a garage to inspect a car, the owner could simply say that the car is not going out because it needs to be repaired. A car with a driver, on the other hand, is proof that the owner let the car out and that a driver took it.

You wrote, "You know very well that they use drivers to complain to their owners because the hassle situation created to drive the car all the way back?"

I agree.

You wrote, "You can’t say too much, and we all know the reason why."

Come on Mr. Tang. Don't hold back now. If you all know something then just say it. I can't wait to hear this one.

"I appreciated that you keep this forum open."

Thank you. I'm happy to keep it open so that everyone has the chance to express their opinions.

"If you are the one who really like to see drivers organized, you surely can be part of this."

Be a part of what? When drivers are ready to organize, I'll be the first in line to help them. Drivers need to speak for themselves. That's what was so refreshing about Melissa coming on the scene. Neither the Friends nor Wolf Weiss speak for all drivers and neither do I.

George Lutfallah

Threaten?
Do I threaten?
Too much or too little?
Threaten like "the end is near" threaten?
Or, threaten like "watch out, you'll get into big trouble" or "I admonish you to behave yourself" threaten?
Complain?
Do I complain?
To little or too much?
Complain like, Oh ****, what is wrong with this planet?"
Or complain like "Officer, that is they guy who hit me!"
Somebody once said "A man who belittles everything around him has a very small mind."
Maybe all I've done is complain and threaten, but that may be way better than twisting the facts and then pretending it's all OK to do so.
To anyone who feels threatened by my remarks, who experiences fear, I would suggest you take a thorough look within for that is where that feeling comes from.
Such feelings are usually feeling of guilt for some bad or wrongful act -- the precursors of remorse.
Sometimes these feelings are the after-shock of having a "new one" torn.

George,

If Wolf likes to complain, it is going to be his problem, not yours!

If Prateek did not do his job right, let him worry about it himself.

If you can take care of yourself, so can everyone els!

Do you think that 10,000 drivers need you to speak for them? Everyone must see the truth like you?

Has Wolf ever taken advantage of you, and so has Prateek? Are you saying that everyone must have the same opinion on every issue?

How can you be so seriously the first in line when everyone here is trying to find a way to destroy the real source for the injustice? In you opinion, we can take care of ourselves by pointing fingers among each other.

You don’t like Prateek, and you don’t like Wolf, I can understand. Since when it becomes your big problem, you need to be a speaker of drivers who must fight with drivers who like Wolf and Prateek to get your things done? Why do you worry about some drivers been led to a wrong way by a “snake”? You can find your own line and to be the first all the time, I guess.

It just makes no sense to debate any further!

Wishing you well!

Mr. Tang

COMPLAINING is my job, my sworn taxicab vigilante duty.

I do this for my brothers and sisters behind the wheel of their taxicabs and who are getting screwed by the City and fleet owners.

I do this for my brothers and sisters who own taxicabs and are getting screwed by the City.

I do this for my brothers and sisters who are cheated, mistreated, lied to and misled by the cheaters, mistreaters, liars and misleaders who infest City Hall and DCS and Administrative Hearings.

However, if I have complained about something that is really nothing to complain about in the first place, please let me know.

If anyone out there has ever been threatened by me (not counting deadbeat customers!) I would like to know.

Oh, I get it, those who have cheated, mistreated, lied to and misled the taxicab drivers are ones threatened by a very clear and present danger.

Yes, clear and present danger of one or more active organizations that are out to stop this cheating, mistreating, lying and misleading -- like those who infest City Hall and their enforcers and henchmen.

So,thanks for the good report card, brother George!

Oh, and sorry about the language in this posting, I had to take some old words (cheat, mistreat, mislead) and twist them into new nouns (cheater, mistreater, misleader).

However, this is not like other twisting of words (by some in the taxicab media industry) that we have previously brought to light.

You can spell "liars" in many ways -- Daley, Reyes, Transportation Committee, City Council...the list is long.

Perhaps those who feel threatened by my complaining have the most to lose by the plain and simple truth!