“Debt forgiveness, now!”

“We’re not gonna give up until we break.”

Those are just some of the messages cab drivers chanted on the street near one of the entrances to the City Hall subway station. 

 “We just want to pay off our debt while being able to pay for rent and actually make money for ourselves,” said. Jean Francois, 68, who has been driving taxis since 1984. He came to the US. from Haiti and is currently living in Queens. 

Jean Francois, 68, immigrant from Haiti. He bought the medallion in 1984 and now protests for in front of the City Hall for higher debt relief. Francois owes about $600,000 and pays $2,300 monthly. Photo by Nikol Mudrová

The now approved plan promises $1,500 or less monthly installment on driver’s mortgages for medallions. But according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), it is not enough. They want to reduce it to a maximum of $800 per month.

 “It would be still hard, but manageable for me to pay,” Francois said. “It is much better than the $2,300 I must pay now. I would be less stressed.”

 To own an own cab, drivers must buy a medallion from the city or the secondary market. It works basically as a permit to drive the yellow cab, and the purchase of medallion was considered an asset for securing a comfortable retirement. It was even promoted by city officials. 

 “They were telling us the prices for medallions would go up and that it is a good investment,” Md Z Islam, 43, another protesting taxi driver said. He is originally from Bangladesh and bought the medallion 11 years ago.

Md Z Islam, 43, immigrant from Bangladesh. He bought the medallion 11 years ago and now protests for in front of the City Hall for higher debt relief as he owes about $800,000 and pays $4000 monthly. Photo by Nikol Mudrová

“City officials with former mayor Bloomberg even ran TV ads with the message that it is once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “I trusted them. 

 Taxi drivers borrowed money for the medallion even though they were not eligible for loans, showed a 2019 NY Times investigation. Reporter Brian Rosenthal likened the situation to causes of the housing bubble, which burst in the global financial crisis in 2009. 

 And the loans were not the only problem. Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing apps came to the city and took some of the customers from yellow cab drivers, which drastically decreased the market value for medallions. From more than $1 million in 2014, the value of medallion is worth less than $200,000 as of 2018.

 Now, owners of medallions owe $600,000 on average according to NYTWA data. 

 “They (ride-sharing apps) have more cars than us, their fare is always changing according to market demand, and they didn’t have to buy any medallion”,” said Wain Chin, a taxi driver from Myanmar, who moved to New York 30 years ago. “Now, we have fewer customers and therefore less money.”

Wain Chin, 54, immigrant from Myanmar, who has been driving yellow cab for 20 years now. He protests for in front of the City Hall for higher debt relief as he owes for his medallion about $500,000 and pays $2300 monthly. Photo by Nikol Mudrová

He suggested that the city should level the playing field and regulate ride-sharing apps in the same way it regulates yellow cabs. 

Another common slogan was “No more suicides” as several  cab drivers committed suicide  because of the debt. 

“You work hard, you try to make money to pay bills, but the money is simply not there for you to make,” said Francois. 

But despite the hardship, he had a smile remained on his face. 

“I’d say that people from Haiti like me are more resistant,” he said. “And the situation can always be worse.”

Some politicians and city officials stopped by to show their support, said Chin.

“But de Blasio is the one who has to do something,” he said. 

 On Wednesday, a dozen members of the New York City congressional delegation, including Majority Senate Leader Charles Schumer and Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, wrote Mayor Bill de Blasio a letter requesting adding a city backed guarantee to the Medallion Relief Program. 

BREAKING: A dozen members of the NYC congressional delegation have written to @NYCMayor, urging him to halt the city’s banker bailout & adopt NYTWA’s proposal for relief debt relief.

Their letter was first reported by @erinmdurkin of @politicony, and you can read it right here: pic.twitter.com/rQsgBAx2k9

— NY Taxi Workers (@NYTWA) October 6, 2021

This is in support of  one of the demands of NYTWA. The union says it  would make it easier for taxi drivers to, for example, rent an apartment. Now, they might get rejected because of their debt and low credit score. 

 “If the city doesn’t accept our proposal for debt relief, we all will be homeless, and a lot of us will be forced to go bankrupt,” Francois said. 

 But Islam worries he does not even have a choice to file a bankruptcy. 

 “I have two kids, and if I file it, I wouldn’t be able to be a guarantor for their loans if they want to go to college,” he said. 

Not all the Taxi and Limousine commissioners who voted for the mayor’s relief plan on Wednesday  agreed with it.

 “Is it enough? No, it is not enough,” one of the commisioners, Lauvienska Polanco  told amNY. “I voted yes because I feel there’s immediate relief. The uncertainty in waiting for something better will add more despair to the medallion owner who is in desperate need today.”

 The Mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

The post DeBlasio’s plan to help struggling taxi drivers isn’t enough for union appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

The bill was one of four pieces of legislation signed by Hochul aimed at improving workplace safety and tackling wage inequity. The new law will increase wage rates for building service workers from $15/hour to $26.45/hour or more––the rate that SEIU 32BJ union members currently receive––along with healthcare benefits.

“You are the ones who make this city happen,” said Hochul. “We’re gonna let people know that the most unionized state in America is proud of that. We’re going to increase our ranks and increase the influence of labor unions under my watch.”

A group of around 25 union members, all clad in purple t-shirts with the union logo, stood around Hochul as she spoke. Cheers swept the group, flags with the union symbol were waved with excitement, and signs declaring “Victory for co-op and condo workers” were held overhead.

A 32BJ Union Member holds a sign with the union logo at an event highlighting the passing of prevailing wage legislation in Columbus Circle on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Photo by Annie Jonas

This is Hochul’s first piece of legislation signed into law since taking office replacing former Governor Andrew Cuomo and becoming the first female governor in the state’s history.

But despite the fanfare, many of the workers were just grateful for the wages the law brings.

Edil Martes, a Brooklyn resident, has worked as a porter at a Manhattan condominium for the past eight years. He said he loves his job but as the only porter in the building he is “constantly overworked and overwhelmed and making just above minimum wage.”

Martes has faced many challenges in the past year and recent months. His mother died of COVID-19 complications and although he was able to afford her cremation, he cannot afford to bury her. His basement apartment was flooded by Hurricane Ida and he has had to relocate to his partner’s family’s house while he figures out his next steps.

“These are the challenges when you’re living paycheck to paycheck and can’t save for a financial emergency,” said Martes. “I’m happy to know that New York state legislators passed a bill that requires our employers to pay the prevailing wages to support us…[and] to put an end to this injustice.”

Renzo Ramirez, a Brooklyn resident who has been a 32BJ member for two years, said workers doing the same jobs as their unionized counterparts “are barely making minimum wage,” but with the passing of the prevailing wages bill, they can finally “g[e]t paid what they deserve.”

“Workers have a real voice in the union,” he said, “and the more we grow, the stronger we are when we have to stand up to our employers for disrespecting us.” 

The law specifically applies to workers in buildings that receive Cooperative and Condominium Tax Abatements, according to a press release from SEIU 32BJ.

Lieutenant Governor of New York Brian Benjamin speaks to 32BJ union members about the recent passing of legislation that provides prevailing wages to condo and co-op building service workers, in Columbus Circle. Photo by Annie Jonas

“If the state gives tax abatements to luxury co-ops and condos, the least we should expect is that there are prevailing wages and benefits for those who work in those buildings to keep everybody safe. That is the kind of New York state that I want to be a part of,” said Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin.

Benjamin served as senate sponsor to the bill when planning began two years ago and worked alongside New York Assemblywoman Carmen de la Rosa to see the bill’s passage.

Benjamin’s father is a retired member of 32BJ and worked as a building service worker in Manhattan. Benjamin said unions had a profound effect on his family and success.

Hochul signed the bills in the neighborhood of her immigrant grandparents in Buffalo, N.Y., both of whom were members of unions.

“I will never forget what labor unions did for my family, lifting them out of extreme poverty and living in trailer parks,” Hochul said. “And like so many others who come to this country in search of a better life, the labor union movement helped elevate all of us in the entire family for generations. I’ll never forget what that did for me personally.”

The post Hochul celebrates union salary equity bill in Columbus Circle appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Scabby the Rat—a giant inflatable figure used as a symbol of defiance by union workers on strike—has been perched outside Muji, a popular minimalist store in the Bowery, for the past few weeks.

But instead of looming over potential customers to make them think twice about entering a store engaged in alleged unfair labor practices, Scabby’s presence had another purpose. The union workers were also protesting their right to free speech.

“They took us to the courts saying we do not have the right to protest,” said Robert Tchaikovski, a union worker manning the pickup truck that Scabby was sitting atop today. “We are allowed to protest. It’s freedom of speech, the standard procedure not just against Muji but many companies.”

Recently, union workers came together against Muji claiming the contracting company they were hired through was taking advantage of workers on the Muji project. The union activists accuse the company and Muji of using untrained and amateurish construction workers as a replacement for the union workers to cut employment costs.

“They don’t pay area standard wages,” said Tchaikovski. “They pay lower, always lower.” 

In addition to lower wages, grievances also include little too “no safety regulation on job sites” and “no insurance for laborers,” which was listed on a flyer taped to the belly of Scabby who sat poised in the bed of pickup truck parked on the street in front of Muji. 

Tapped on Scabby was a message from the union workers to Muji calling for livable wages. It was also a call to action, urging the public to contact Muji on behalf of the union. Photo by Thomas Hengge

For the union workers, if grabbing the attention of the public was the mission, Scabby helped accomplish it with ease. 

People passing by paused for a moment, laughing and at the inflatable rat. Some took pictures with and of Scabby, turning and nodding to the union worker manning the truck who did so back in a moment of solidarity. The majority stopped to read the flyer, including some customers coming out of Muji, though more tried to slip out seemingly unnoticed not to be caught in some form of crossfire for continuing to shop there. 

And few were a bit more vocal. 

 “I have to side with the union,” said Koos Verwoerd, a Dutch tourist on holiday who stopped briefly to observe the protest. “It is a necessary action.”

The workers’ right to protest, is currently being dealt with by the National Labor Relations Board. 

Employees of Muji declined to comment. 

The post Scabby the inflatable rat is a fixture at Muji on the Bowery appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

On the morning of February 5th, on the steps of City Hall, a black car driver named Douglas Schifter killed himself with a shotgun. Schifter wanted his death to be as public as possible to expose the hardships he faced as a driver.

“I am not a slave and I refuse to be one,” the 61-year-old wrote earlier that morning in his Facebook suicide note. “I hope with the public sacrifice I make now that some attention [be given] to the plight of the drivers.”

Schifter, like many New York City cab drivers, worked himself to the bone. He drove an average of 120 hours a week, but this still was not enough still not enough to survive.

Since 2014, Schifter had written for Black Car News about the deteriorating quality of life that drivers faced. He wrote about the ways to alleviate the sharp decline in wages, the longer hours, and the rapid devaluation of taxi medallions. These were the permits necessary to pick up passengers – once valued at $1.3 million, now only worth a fraction of that figure.

“When smart drivers are united, and they share the wealth, nobody can beat them,” Schifter said in his last column.

He believed  a union would be able to grant protections to drivers and fix the growing problems but also believed corrupt New York politicians would stand in the way.

“Let’s face it, for someone to commit suicide there’s an underlying mental health challenge,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in response to the suicide. De Blasio, alongside former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo were frequent targets of Schifter.

After his death, Mohammed Gangat, a worker’s rights lawyer, became focused on creating a network of drivers within New York City. He formed, StopforChange, which is focused on organizing drivers, discussing the issues they face, and eventually building collective bargaining power within the industry.

New StopforChange member Daniel Montes (L) working with founder Mohammed Gangat to join the group’s social media network. Photo by Justin M. Ratchford

“Every single group out there that is doing something now is obviously not doing enough,” Gangat said. “For me, I think we need a revision of what an organizational effort looks like.”

StopforChange utilizes social media to reach out to drivers and other established groups.

StopforChange member Anthony Ainsworth on the group’s Facebook page.
Photo by Justin M. Ratchford

“We’re now seeing the effects of not giving people what they need, tragedy,” Gangat said.

But Schifter was not the first  taxi driver tragedy in New York City.

On December 20^th, Danilo Corporan Castillo, a 57-year-old cab driver, leapt from his Manhattan apartment. This was in response to a dispute he was in with the Taxi & Limousine Commission. Castillo, a livery driver was accused of picking up an illegal street hail. He faced the loss of his professional license. This, combined with mounting fines, lead the husband and father of two to commit suicide. Days later, a letter would come to his home clearing him of all charges. Under a union, Castillo would’ve been afforded more protection in his legal case.

“They’re so scared of unions,” Jason Bitton, a driver and StopforChange member said of industry leaders. “They’re trying their hardest to push each driver down, keeping our rates low, so that we’re so exhausted that we can’t form a union.”

Bitton, 29, is member and the son of an Israeli immigrant who came to New York City in 1987 and worked as a driver. Back then, Bitton said his father made between $300 and $400 per day, driving for eight hours, not adjusted for inflation.

“When I told my father what I was making,” Bitton said, “He couldn’t believe what I was saying.”

Driving today, Bitton makes between $1,000 and $1,100 per week, working roughly 50 hours. The drastic decline in wages the father and son face is similar to the decrease in wages that Schifter faced over the 37 years he drove.

The landscape of driving in the city has changed drastically in the last 30 years. Most notably through the introduction of rideshare apps like Uber there are more for hire cars than ever before. As of 2017, Uber outnumbered yellow cabs 4 to 1 in New York City.

The oversaturation of drivers is what caused drivers like Schifter to lose wages over the years. Despite reports of the overcrowding in the city, politicians have not responded.

“Right now Uber is paying off your politicians,” Gangat said. “You don’t think judges are rubbing shoulders with politicians?”

The post Long hours, little pay for city’s taxi drivers appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

With a light grey beard and a pleasant smile, John J. Dennie, 74, from Staten Island, handed out fliers outside of a Staples store in Chelsea, Manhattan. He wore a light blue hoodie and a U.S. Postal Service cap as he tried to get his message out to afternoon passersby.

His message was postal jobs are being outsourced to Staples and postal workers are losing their jobs.

“The postal service is in the process of being privatized, and what they want to do, basically, is replace unionized postal clerks with Staples employees,” said Dennie.

Dennie was among a group of about ten members of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) who were calling for a boycott of both Staples and its merchandise website, Quill.com. They demonstrated today outside of a Staples store at 20th Street and 6th Avenue.

The protesters were concerned about the loss of existing Postal Service jobs – and along with them, the training, higher wages, and health care benefits they offered.

“Staples won’t let any of their workers work more than 25 hours a week, so it’s a part-time, low wage, no benefit job,” said Dennie. “[The] Postal Service wants to bust our unions, basically, and this is part of it, to subcontract everything to no-union employers”.

The U.S. Postal Service has been operating in a financial deficit in recent years. Starting in 2012, the Postal Service consolidated 143 of its processing centers . In 2013, Postal Service leadership made a deal with Staples to offer postal services in Staples stores. This was considered a controversial, illegal action among Postal Service union workers because the APWU was not bargained with first.

Those at the protest today were predominantly older, retired Postal Service employees.  APWU member Dennis O’Neil, 65, from Harlem, saw good reason for their enthusiasm.

“Those of us who came up, we came up from a time where the union was stronger … and we know what’s possible, what could be, because we lived it,” said O’Neil. “So we’re trying to make that happen again.”
O’Neil also noted the importance of getting the public aware of changes within the U.S. Postal Service and the outsourcing of once-public jobs to private companies.

“People are unaware of what’s happening, and even if they see it, they think, ‘Well it’s an approved thing by the post office, I guess it’s okay,’ but once we tell them about the damage that’s being done, they listen,” O’Neil said as he pointed to the U.S. Postal Service logo on the Staples storefront.
That damage would arguably include a loss of living-wage jobs. Staples employees make only about $8.50 or $9.50 an hour, while the average Postal Service employee makes about $25 an hour.

This was enough for passer-by Mark Hurston, 54, to support the protesters.

“I kind of understand where they’re coming from.” Hurston said. “Makes sense to me. This is a big deal, U.S. mail is a big deal.”

Dennie said the protests have had mixed results.

“We get some people to turn away, we do have people turn away.” Dennie said. “I don’t know how much of a dent we’re making, but I hope to be more of a nuisance to them.”

The post Postal Service union protests outsources of jobs appeared first on Pavement Pieces.