From the September 2007 issue of the Chicago Dispatcher

Of the Drivers, By the Drivers, For the Drivers
New organization founded for cabdrivers; elections to be held.
By George Lutfallah

Strike organizer Melissa Callahan is working to create an organization for drivers so that they can have representation to address their concerns. According to Callahan, the new organization will be made up of licensed Chicago taxi drivers, whether they own or lease their cabs. The representatives of the organization will also be made up of taxi drivers who are elected by their fellow drivers. Callahan plans to collect nominees for the organization by September 23 and will have elections on October 2. Whether Melissa Callahan herself will play an active role in the new organization as an elected representative, Callahan said, “That's up to the drivers.”

Callahan has also chosen to stop accepting assistance and advice from the American Friends Service Committee (“AFSC”). Callahan provided two reasons for separating from the AFSC and their Taxi Workers Organizing project. First, according to Callahan, the AFSC's efforts are mainly focused on lease drivers and would limit the ability of drivers who own their own medallions from participation in any organizing effort. Second, Callahan didn't approve of the AFSC's apparent exclusion of others who were interested in working for the benefit of drivers.

Specifically, she mentioned George Kasp and me as parties that the AFSC wanted to exclude. She also said that Sampat and the AFSC had taken an adversarial position to fleet owners, even if those owners seemed interested in supporting cabdrivers. For example, when the petitions for the fare increase were to be submitted, the cover letter listed contributing persons and organizations in collecting signatures. Ted Budzynski was listed since he had single handedly collected 400 of the signatures. But so were cab companies that had assisted in collecting signature for the fare increase like Flash Cab and Chicago Carriage Cab, among others. According to Callahan, Sampat motioned to the cab companies on the cover letter and asked if she wanted to take them off the list of signature gatherers. According to Callahan, “I said no and that was the end of the conversation.”

Callahan believes that owners and drivers are faced with many of the same issues and doesn't think that owners with a genuine interest in helping drivers should be shunned.