Hot Meals at Midway
December 2007
By Jonathan Bullington

The taxi-staging area at Midway Airport, though smaller and less crowded than O'Hare, still presents areas of concern to some drivers. Both Kast and fellow veteran driver Steve Wiedersberg raised issue with the food options available to drivers at Midway.

Unlike O'Hare's staging area, which includes a food stand serving hot meals, Midway's staging area has only vending machines, with only one designated for snacks such as candy and chips. According to Wiedersberg, a food truck used o visit the staging area but was quickly “chased out” with tickets. The Chicago Dispatcher spoke with several drivers at Midway regarding their food options and each one said he thought a hot meal or healthier meal should be made available for drivers, particularly since cabdrivers are at a high risk for diabetes.

“We're paying money here,” said one driver who wished to remain anonymous, “and they're giving us only this junk food.”

According to Wiedersberg, he has brought this issue up at various task force meetings but each time it is denied. As for Kast, he said he asked Commissioner Reyes about drivers receiving a hot meal at Midway more than two years ago and, at that time, her response was that she was looking into it and would get back to him.

“Maybe she's still looking into it,” Kast said. “Sometimes eyesight is poor.”

The Chicago Dispatcher attempted to reach Commissioner Reyes about this issue several times but, as of press time, no one from her office has responded to our inquiry. We were able to ask Ms. Pride about adding hot meals at Midway. Her response was as follows:

“Since wait times at Midway are typically brief, the vending machines are offered as a quick convenience without causing interruptions to service for customers waiting at the terminal. The Department does not plan to offer hot meals at Midway.”

The main concern both Kast and Wiedersberg had was with what they see as a lack of concern for cabdrivers and their problems.

“Whenever we bring these issues and concerns up, we're given the run around,” Wiedersberg said.

“I realize everyone has a lot to do,” Kast said, “but it seems that when a cabdriver has a complaint or a grievance, the answer is always 'we'll get back to you.' I can't deal with people who are going to put me on hold. These are safety and health issues. I don't have time for the 'we'll get back to you' routine. Two years of being told this does not equate to satisfactory results.”