From the Chicago Dispatcher, July 16, 2008
Strike at Carriage
Chicago Carriage and Royal 3 CCC drivers unite to protest company policies.
By: Jonathan Bullington
Roughly 50 Chicago Carriage cabdrivers called a strike outside the company's office on Wabash Tuesday to protest the company's lease rates, credit card procedures and other practices.
In the days leading up to Tuesday's strike, organizers distributed fliers urging Carriage and Royal 3 CCC drivers to participate by parking their cabs at 4:30 p.m. and giving their keys and meters to Carriage cashiers for the duration of the strike. The fliers also introduced a new committee, formed by strike organizers, called the Chicago Cabdrivers Action Committee (CCDAC), made up entirely of Carriage and Royal 3 CCC drivers only.
Chief among the CCDAC's concerns is Carriage's lease rates. A week and a half ago, Carriage stopped offering weekly leases in favor of daily leases only, charging drivers up to $97 dollars a day to lease a cab. After receiving complaints, the company re-instated the weekly lease, but required drivers to pay the entire lease rate ($565) up front.
“How can they do this while gas prices are going up?” questioned Mohamoud Mohemed, a three-year Carriage driver.
Another complaint centered on credit card transactions - specifically - the amount of time it takes to receive money from credit card transactions.
“You have to wait three-to-four days to get money from credit cards,” said Abdi Hussein.
One of the strike's main organizers, Mr. Liban, said it takes at least two days to get money from credit card transactions, and even then, the money comes in a check - not cash, meaning many drivers are forced to pay an additional fee just to cash the check.
“They should give us the cash,” Liban said.
Many strike participants complained about the service they receive at Carriage's garage, particularly when dealing with auto repairs.
“You have to wait four hours just to have your tire changed,” said Nuradin Jama.
“Their service is slow,” Liban said. “A tire change takes four-to-five hours. Anything more serious usually takes up to a week.”
Another complaint was directed at the company's dispatch system, which many drivers said is corrupt.
“They don't give good fares unless you give a kick back,” Liban said. “It's not a fair and equitable distribution of fares.”
A group of five drivers, including CCDAC President Atmos Obazee met with Carriage management for more than an hour Tuesday. After the meeting, Obazee addressed the crowd with word an agreement had been reached and they could resume work.
According to Obazee, the agreement reached addressed many of their concerns. First, Obazee said the company would re-instate their policy of allowing most drivers to pay their weekly leases in two installments. Only drivers with poor records would be required to pay the entire lease up front. Also, Carriage management told the CCDAC it will be updating its credit card processing equipment within a month's time and will have a cashier's window solely for credit card transactions, meaning drivers will be able to receive their money on the spot. Obazee said management agreed to designate two garage lifts for minor repairs and would have a separate station just for tire changes, which Obazee said should be open soon. He also said management agreed to monitor dispatch calls for any possible improprieties. One final agreement reached, according to Obazee, was for management to meet with the CCDAC once a month to discuss any issues between drivers and the company.
As drivers celebrated their achievement, Carriage general manager Gene Geckard appeared to address the crowd, reiterating what Obazee said and the company's desire to work with its drivers.
I salute the brave drivers of CCDAC and President Atmos Obazee for your no-nonsense approach to dealing with problems at CCC.
I am sure these problems didn't appear overnight, but grew over several years.
Although no mention was made of this, it is quite likely that CCC's standard practices, procedures and policies have resulted in growing resentment and have certainly slowed the progress toward DCS's cashless and safer cab drivers - presumably to protect us from robbers who want our large amounts of cash that we all carry.
One driver suggested that the robbery begins at the cashier's window in the garage and continues every time we take a credit card payment!
There are some who believe that passengers who pay with credit cards are bigger tippers. Not in my cab and about 50% of all my business is on plastic.
I give then a hardy thank you just the same - all gratuities are from the heart.
Just like a tip, a gratuity from the heart, your action has enriched and empowered us all a little more. Thank you all CCDAC!
In Solidarity,
Wolfgang J. Weiss
Chicago Professional Taxicab Drivers' Association
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From the Chicago Dispatcher, July 16, 2008
Strike at Carriage
Chicago Carriage and Royal 3 CCC drivers unite to protest company policies.
By: Jonathan Bullington
Roughly 50 Chicago Carriage cabdrivers called a strike outside the company's office on Wabash Tuesday to protest the company's lease rates, credit card procedures and other practices.
In the days leading up to Tuesday's strike, organizers distributed fliers urging Carriage and Royal 3 CCC drivers to participate by parking their cabs at 4:30 p.m. and giving their keys and meters to Carriage cashiers for the duration of the strike. The fliers also introduced a new committee, formed by strike organizers, called the Chicago Cabdrivers Action Committee (CCDAC), made up entirely of Carriage and Royal 3 CCC drivers only.
Chief among the CCDAC's concerns is Carriage's lease rates. A week and a half ago, Carriage stopped offering weekly leases in favor of daily leases only, charging drivers up to $97 dollars a day to lease a cab. After receiving complaints, the company re-instated the weekly lease, but required drivers to pay the entire lease rate ($565) up front.
“How can they do this while gas prices are going up?” questioned Mohamoud Mohemed, a three-year Carriage driver.
Another complaint centered on credit card transactions - specifically - the amount of time it takes to receive money from credit card transactions.
“You have to wait three-to-four days to get money from credit cards,” said Abdi Hussein.
One of the strike's main organizers, Mr. Liban, said it takes at least two days to get money from credit card transactions, and even then, the money comes in a check - not cash, meaning many drivers are forced to pay an additional fee just to cash the check.
“They should give us the cash,” Liban said.
Many strike participants complained about the service they receive at Carriage's garage, particularly when dealing with auto repairs.
“You have to wait four hours just to have your tire changed,” said Nuradin Jama.
“Their service is slow,” Liban said. “A tire change takes four-to-five hours. Anything more serious usually takes up to a week.”
Another complaint was directed at the company's dispatch system, which many drivers said is corrupt.
“They don't give good fares unless you give a kick back,” Liban said. “It's not a fair and equitable distribution of fares.”
A group of five drivers, including CCDAC President Atmos Obazee met with Carriage management for more than an hour Tuesday. After the meeting, Obazee addressed the crowd with word an agreement had been reached and they could resume work.
According to Obazee, the agreement reached addressed many of their concerns. First, Obazee said the company would re-instate their policy of allowing most drivers to pay their weekly leases in two installments. Only drivers with poor records would be required to pay the entire lease up front. Also, Carriage management told the CCDAC it will be updating its credit card processing equipment within a month's time and will have a cashier's window solely for credit card transactions, meaning drivers will be able to receive their money on the spot. Obazee said management agreed to designate two garage lifts for minor repairs and would have a separate station just for tire changes, which Obazee said should be open soon. He also said management agreed to monitor dispatch calls for any possible improprieties. One final agreement reached, according to Obazee, was for management to meet with the CCDAC once a month to discuss any issues between drivers and the company.
As drivers celebrated their achievement, Carriage general manager Gene Geckard appeared to address the crowd, reiterating what Obazee said and the company's desire to work with its drivers.
in all the problems i hear from carriage drivers about the problems i hear no word from mike foulks. in this article in the dispatcher i hear many names of organizers and organizations and no word from mike foulks and the CCO. doesn't he drive for carriage? mike, do you don't know what is going on in front of your nose? or maybe you don't care if you can't be the president of all the organizations. maybe you get a good deal from carriage.
what kind of man who says he cares about the cabdrivers and makes election to be president with no mmembers and he don't organize the drivers at the place he works? let some real leaders make the work and the struggle. mike foulks doesn't want to lose his job or his good deal.
i heard that the white drivers get a better deal. is this true mike foulks? why don't you find out? tell us your deal and ask the white drivers to give ;you copy of leases so we can see.
i believe mike foulks and cco is not doing anything about problems at carriage. why? answer the people, mike foulks.
rani
Mike has just what's between his ears to work with. Don't expect a miracle from a midget.
I also told you that CCC was the worst company in the city many times on this forum.
Maybe MIKE FOULKS, OLA SHALOM, ALEKSANDR IGOLNIKOV, SYMON GARBER, GALINA GARBER-SHEININ were practicing with the CHICAGO CARRIAGE CAB POLO TEAM.
Normally polo is played on horseback but intrepid entrepreuers that they are, they are trying donkeys this season. Mike and Ola are the lead donkeys in alternating chukkers so they don't get too tired and sweaty.
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Replying to:
Mike has just what's between his ears to work with. Don't expect a miracle from a midget.
I also told you that CCC was the worst company in the city many times on this forum.
whenever you see these big red cabs on streets, you seem them speeding, cutting off pedestrains and just driving recklessly.
These have worst cab drivers on city.
thats not true. you must talk to the drivers. there are many drivers for carriage who are long time drivers, respectful and dignified, who follow the rules. you cant' talk about companies like that only about individual drivers who need training
Let me point out a difference that all might not have realized. I said the worst company in the city. I did not say worst drivers, although they do have more than most. My comments were worst company. Period.
But where is that Ola Shalom?
I am not surprised that drivers know so little about how to defend themselfes. Not the City nor the owner want to help the drivers. Without knowing to much about Carriage, I read the article and I saw that drivers cry because of their high leases that they have to pay. Don't they know that the City of Chicago has standard maximum lease price? Go to page 30 on the next link and see what is all about. That link is from the City of Chicago, Department of Consumer Services. Why do you have to go in strike and pray for a fair lease, when you can complain to Consumer Services about what a driver has to endure?
The following link is a good one for every cabdriver:
http://199.253.140.81/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/Medallion-Rule_Reg-05012008.pdf
The maximum lease an owner can charge a driver it can be as follows:
MAXIMUM TAXICAB LEASE RATES INCLUDING CITY AND
STATE TAXES
Including
Repairs &
Maintenance
12-Hour Lease $57.00
24-Hour Lease 78.50
Weekly 473.00
....not 97/day or 565/week
If there is any advertisemnt, then 35 percent of such income shall be returned to the lessee (the driver).
Good luck you all in your fight!
These guys have all sorts of ways they can get around the laws. Yellow charges over 600.00 a week for a later model vehicle lease. I can tell you from my part though, I would lose money to rent to a driver for 473.00 a week. I am an owner operator and am just making enough to scrape by. My vehicle would need a thousand dollars worth of repairs after being torn up by some of these so called drivers over a few weeks time.
It will never happen, but I would sell my cab and lease one if it ever does. A lease that is charged by ones record as a driver. Just a dream I guess.
Bottom line, the city is responsible for our hard times. They are not letting us charge fair rates of fare. We are real low compared to other large cities. Our expenses are some of the highest in the nation. If we can charge fair rates of fare to our customers many of our other problems will seem smaller once we're earning our fair share! Putting the companies into bankrupcy isn't my idea of fixing a broken business. Charging enough to make a decent living is.
