asking for justice

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Whether City Hall's Worried or Not, Another Taxi Drivers' Strike Starts Today
By Patrick Michels, Thu., Jan. 27 2011 @ 3:00PM
Categories: City Hall, Transportation
At least 200 cabbies marched around the reflecting pool at City Hall this morning to kick off another strike over preferential treatment for CNG-powered cabs.
While that box of files might've stolen their thunder this morning, at least 200 sign-toting cabbies were back at Dallas City Hall this morning, marching 'round the reflecting pool to yet again complain about the preferential treatment given compressed natural gas-powered cabs at Love Field, where the city allows them to jump to the front of the taxi queues. It's an expensive modification indie drivers say they can't afford.

And even if City Hall isn't convinced it'll be a problem, the drivers rallied around Association of Taxicab Operators leaders this morning to begin another strike just in time for the Super Bowl tourism rush. ATO spokesman Mirza Sajid gathered them up a little before noon today to let them know: "The strike is on." They'll be back out there tomorrow at 10 a.m.

The strikers carried the same kind of red-on-white signs they had last fall, but some of the messages were far more racially charged this time around, calling the city's pro-CNG policy "racist," and saying it amounted to "Jim Crowism." "This is the final straw," said Juanita Wallace with the NAACP. "They're not going to be pushed around anymore."

Some of the drivers, passing around a box of Kool-Aid Jammers juice sacks after the rally, sounded game for standing tough on the strike. But a second plan for dissent was rippling through the crowd, as well -- plans to keep lining up at Love Field, to keep working, and simply box out any CNG cab that tried to jump their place in line.

Tunde Obazee, a former ATO president and cab driver, said he'd support everyone who remained on strike, but that this looked to him like the time to challenge the front-of-the-line policy. He suggested drivers licensed to pick up passengers at Love Field go back and defend their places in line. He said they simply cannot be afraid of being arrested.

"If your gas is not illegal, if your taxi permit is not a second-class permit, if your citizenship papers are in order, then I think you need to stand up like men and women and fight for your rights," Obzaee said. "Any man that doesn't have a reason to die is not fit to be alive."

asking for justice

LETTER TO MAYOR

Dallas-area Independent Taxi Drivers Rights Support Group


Mr. Tom Leppert
Mayor of Dallas
1500 Marilla St,
Dallas, TX 75201

January 4, 2011

Dear Mayor and Council members,

First of all Happy New Year to all. Yeharerwerk Gashaw, International Ethiopian Humanitarian and actress, as well as other prominent human rights activists and leaders, are requesting on behalf of independent taxi business owners and drivers in Dallas that these drivers be allocated the right to fairly conduct their business. Small taxi businesses are the major provider of services to the Dallas area. The majority of these independent taxi business owners are naturalized citizens who came to the United States with the hopes of being able to run and own their own businesses with equal opportunity, but the numerous regulations being currently being put on taxi businesses in the Dallas-area due to the transition to CNG vehicles are causing these independent taxi businesses to suffer. The Mayor and council members' decision to enforce CNG vehicles did not have these independent business owners in mind, and leave these businesses without a means of attaining the pricey CNG vehicles, causing them to be unable to compete with the bigger taxicab companies. Some of these business owners are already out of business and have no means of supporting their families, their wives and children suffering along with them. We ask for fairness regarding these independent business owners, and thus, ask that the following rules be enforced concerning Dallas taxi-cab drivers:

1. A first come first serve policy be developed concerning taxi lines specifically when it comes to Love-Field Airport.

2. Ability to be able to transition from one cab company to another.
3. At least $40,000 be granted to independent small taxi business owners so that they are able to purchase the CNG vehicles, which cost approximately the stated amount.
4. Ability of taxi drivers to pick-up passengers from the DFW airport.
5. Ability be given to pick up passengers from any hotel in Dallas.
6. Taxi drivers who have five or more years of experience should be exempt from the exam that is currently given to taxi drivers every four years.
7. Every individual taxi driver be able to keep their original vehicle ID as long as they are still in the business.
8. The ability to attain a taxi license be re-instated by the DFW Airport Board, which Mayor Leppert is part of.

Please understand that we do support the Compressed Naturalized Gas movement and recognize its importance to the natural environment, so the Association of Taxicab Operators (ATO) has conjured a four-point proposal concerning the movement and how it should affect taxi business rules and regulations, which is attached to this e-mail.

In conclusion, we the “Dallas-area Independent Taxi Drivers Rights Support Group”
are requesting an official meeting with the Mayor and city council in order to address and solve this problem. This meeting will include board members of the ATO and the Ethiopian American and Eritrean-Americans independent taxi drivers Task Force Committee (also members of ATO) to directly speak on their organization's behalf. We hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Yeharerwerk (Yeharer) Gashaw
Chairperson.

C N G Head of the line?

What happens with "first come first serve" culture?

The City council of Dallas allows Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered cabs from Yellow and Cowboys Cab to move to the head of the line at taxi queues in Love Field Airport.
Here “first come first serve “principle has no value.
For this reason drivers at Dallas Love Field Airport are going out of business and they have now hard time to feed their families.
They need your help, call the city council and show your support.

DFW TAXICAB Operators

Dallas Taxi Boycott May Increase Drunk Driving on New Years’ Eve
by Tom McGregor Wed, Dec 29, 2010, 05:52 PM

Dallas-area cops may contend with an increasing rash of drunk drivers on the road on New Year’s Eve as taxi cab drivers are organizing a boycott of services during the holiday season.
According to the Dallas Morning News, “a group of Dallas-area cab drivers are planning to boycott working that night, in another protest to the city ordinance that’s given taxis powered by natural gas an edge at Love Field.”
The press release says, “there will be NO taxi services for that night,” except from companies like Yellow Cab, which is enjoying a rapid accumulation of market share in the ordinance’s wake.
The Dallas Morning News quotes the press release as saying, “the Association of Taxicab operators ATO has called for a Boycott for this coming New Year Eve Friday, Dec. 31th of 2010. There will be NO taxi services for that night. Please support the hard working taxicab drivers who ask for fairness and justice. We want to serve, make a living wage and have an opportunity to improve the quality of life in North Texas. Thanks and best regards and Happy New Year to you.”
To read the entire article from the Dallas Morning News, link here:
Tommcgregor@cri.com.cn
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Dallas City Hall Blog
Dallas taxi boycott planned for New Year's Eve

1:16 PM Wed, Dec 29, 2010 | Permalink
Steve Thompson / Reporter
Here's something to keep in mind on New Year's Eve while you're tilting back your fifth glass of champaign champagne.
A group of Dallas-area cab drivers are planning to boycott working that night, in another protest to the city ordinance that's given taxis powered by natural gas an edge at Love Field.
"There will be NO taxi services for that night," says their news release. Except from companies like Yellow Cab, which the release notes is rapidly accumulating more market share in the ordinance's wake.
The release begins:
Dear Sir or Madam,
The Association of Taxicab operators ATO has called for a Boycott for this coming New Year Eve Friday, Dec. 31th of 2010. There will be NO taxi services for that night. Please support the hard working taxicab drivers who ask for fairness and justice. We want to serve, make a living wage and have an opportunity to improve the quality of life in North Texas.
Thanks and best regards and Happy New Year to you.
For detail press release and other information go to ; http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com

ERGENT PRESS RELEASE

URGENT PRESS RELEASE
January 16, 2011.

Community activists in Dallas are asking you kindly to support the ATO/independent drivers for most part are Africans US. Citizen.

Actress Yeharer (Yeharerwerk) Gashaw an International Ethiopian Humanitarian and long time community activist in Dallas and founder of Dallas-area Independent Taxi Owners/Drivers Rights Support Organizing Group, Ms. Marilyn Clark a asks for the public support for the Independent taxi drivers and Association of Taxicab Operators in Dallas. In 2010, Ms. Gashaw was one of the community leaders who organized the "Poor People's March for Dallas” that included speakers such as Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, city council members Carolyn Davis and Tennell Atkins, as well as
activists, students, and Christian and Muslim leaders from around the community.

In a move designed to resolve the on-going conflict between the City and the independent taxi operators, the Association of Taxicab Operators (ATO) has submitted a Four Point Plan to Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. The plan recommends eliminating the current city initiative that allows Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered cab to move to the head of the line at taxi queues. In its place, ATO recommends a staggered replacement schedule that will permit taxi operators to purchase any vehicle that meets aggressive pollution and efficiency guidelines. Vehicles in this category include
diesel, bio-fuel, hybrid, fuel cell and electric.

ATO advocates clean energy and energy independence that needs not sacrifice values of fairness that are embodied in a first come first serve culture. ATO is currently challenging the City’s head of the line initiative in court. The Four Point Plan is an attempt to avoid further litigation and to establish a cooperative working relationship with the City. Drivers at Dallas Love Field Airport are going out of business.

To bolster this cooperative working relationship, ATO has proposed that the City recognize the independent taxi operators as the City’s goodwill ambassadors. In this capacity the independent taxi operators can help to create and reinforce the perception that Dallas is a visitor friendly city as well as international culture oriented due to 95 % naturalized US citizens taxi drivers in Dallas.

Without a resolution of these issues, the independent taxi operators will be forced out of business. This will leave Yellow Cab Company that has over 51% of market share, with an absolute monopoly. It would also send a disconcerting message to other small business owners in the city who are competing against legacy companies. All the above stated information was sent to the Mayor Leppert and city council members, but unfortunately no answer has been forthcoming. We are asking you kindly to
support ATO by calling City Hall, Mayor Leppert and your council members on hour behalf. Thank you in advance for your support !

For more information contacts organizing group:
Ms. Yeharerwerk (Yeharer) Gashaw (214) 642- 0394,
Ms. Marilyn Clark 214-426-1683
Ms. Linda Anuku 214-542-9610 or
Dr. Al-Fatih Ameen (817) 521-3012
ATO Chairman.