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More than 2,300 taxis cruise the streets of Los Angeles, operated by 9 companies that have a franchise agreement with the city. The current contracts with each company were awarded in 2000 as 5-year agreements, with extensions allowed up to 5 times. Those 10 year deals are set to expire in December and taxi workers are taking advantage of the opportunity to push for change. Driving a cab is often a thankless job that yields little profit for the driver. According to the US Department of Labor taxi workers are 60 times more likely to die on the job than other workers, and a study in Chicago found that 20% of cabbies had been assaulted on the job. In Los Angeles former driver Sentayehu Silassie says taxi companies take most of the money an individual makes, requiring some to work 18-hour days, 7-days a week, just to survive. The Los Angeles Taxi Workers Alliance is a coalition of workers, organizations, and attorneys that has been organizing drivers since 2005. Its efforts have improved the working conditions and profitability of taxi work over the years. The LATWA has studied different taxi systems around the country and it will be ramping up efforts to convince the city to approve a driver-led cooperative in December instead of simply extending city contracts with the companies.

GUESTS: Sentayehu Silassie, President of LATWA, fired by Yellow Cab for speaking out after driving a cab for 18 years; Betty Hung, founding member of LATWA and Legal Counsel

The Los Angeles City Council Transportation Committee Hearing takes place this Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 2 pm at the LA City Hall, Room 1010 on the corner of First and Main in downtown L.A. (there is a possibility the hearing will be relocated to City Council Chamber).

LATWA urges listeners to call your City Council members and urge them not to renew the Taxi contracts for another 5 years, and instead grant a 1 year renewal to allow time for a study of the LA taxi system to wrap up.

City Council Members’ Contact Info:

District 11- Rosendahl
(213) 473-7011
(310) 568-8772
(310) 575-8461

District 4 – LaBonge
(213) 485-3337
(323) 957-6415
(818) 755-7630

District 7- Alarcon
213.847.7777
818. 756.9115
818.756.8409

District 5- Koretz
(213 485-5013
(310) 289-0353
(818) 756-8083

District 8- Parks
213-473-7008
213-485-7616
323-293-9467