Following in this and a second post are several articles from the New York media about the strike, the taxi industry, and the the lives of taxi drivers.
--BK
>Return-Path: <nhan at merv.cs.nyu.edu>
>Date: Fri, 15 May 98 12:01:01 EDT
>From: nhan at merv.cs.nyu.edu (Ngo Thanh Nhan)
>To: TopLab at mindspring.com
>Subject: <6> NY Taxi struggle - background 5/14/98
>
>NYU Linguistic String Project -- Fri May 15 11:54:29 EDT 1998
>
>Dear friends,
>
>Here is the latest on taxi strike... as of 5/14/98
>See the press below...
>
>FYI,
>Nhan
>-------------------------------------------------
>>From owner-foil-l at mail.serve.com Thu May 14 10:56 EDT 1998
>From: "Sekhar Ramakrishnan" <ramakri at cudept.cis.columbia.edu>
>Subject: nyc taxi strike huge
>
>Hi:
>
>The one-day taxi strike, initiated by the Taxi Workers Alliance, was a
>huge success. By all reports, there were hardly any taxis on the street.
>The Times, which is usually eager to emphasize scabs, failures, innocent
>victims, etc., did better today, stressing the strike's success
>(photographs of yellow-less streets, reports on front pages of main AND
>metro sections) and even mentioning the issues as the strike organizers
>and drivers have framed them. There was even a background article that
>featured TWA (the first story below). The stories make clear what a great
>organizing job TWA did and how well it knew the feelings of the drivers,
>despite having had to recreate itself only a few months back.
>
>One last note. Giuliani is one of the most vindictive politicians around.
>He holds grudges for years. This strike is one of the few successful
>expressions of opposition to his autocratic rule in the city. I am sure he
>will try to go after the taxi drivers, especially TWA.
>
>sekhar
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 00:02:38 -0500
>From: debs at dclink.com
>To: plefr at umich.edu
>Subject: New York taxi strike hugely successful
>
>================[ Distributed Message ]================
> ListServer: Debs (E-discussion of Labor Party Debs Caucus)
> Type: Not Moderated
> Distributed on: 14-MAY-98, 00:01:50
>Original Written by: INT:andypollack at juno.com.
>=======================================================
>
>An initial report on today's strike:
>
>Some 24,000 yellow cab drivers in New York City -- that is, virtually the
>entire taxi worforce -- struck today. Only a tiny number of taxis were on
>the streets, probably less than 1%. The night before local news found it
>extremely hard if not impossible to find any driver who would say he
>wouldn't be striking, and by the next morning the media couldn't find a
>scab to talk to. Throughout the day reports back to strike HQ from teams
>visiting major taxi gathering points and high-traffic thoroughfares
>reported barely a cab in sight.
>
>The action was organized by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. The NYTWA
>was formerly called the Lease Drivers Coalition, and had been organizing
>for several years primarily among South Asian drivers, who make up the
>majority of the workforce, which, however, also includes substantial
>numbers of Latinos, Caribbeans, Africans and Eastern Europeans. Today's
>strike had the support of drivers of all ethnicities. Throughout the day
>white, Latin and Black strikers would come to the headquarter with the
>same message: "I've been driving for 20 years and nobody ever organized
>anything like this! You guys are the best!"
>
>The strike was organized in barely a week in response to Mayor Giuliani's
>imposition of 17 onerous rules that would make an already dangerous and
>nerve-wracking job unbearable and would cost the drivers thousands more
>in fines for no good reason.
>
>Every single local media, and some national and international, was there.
>Giuliani's response was his typical combination of childish denials of
>the strike's impact and dictatorial threats to take away their licenses
>(and, a rumor claims, to call in the INS). The threats revolve around
>next Thursday's tentative plan for a caravan to City Hall.
>
>The strike was organized by days of constant leaflets of cabbies at all
>the major centers (airports, Port Authority terminals, etc.) -- during a
>week of constant rain (which only let up today). Over the weekend
>leafletting teams all reported back to the office with the same results:
>"drivers are asking us for more flyers, they're ready for the strike, and
>they want to know why we can't strike for more than one day!"
>
>Next Thursday's action (May 21) is still being planned, but there will
>clearly be either on that day or close to it an activity to involve large
>numbers of supporters. We can certainly hope that the unity with which
>drivers stood up to Giuliani will be an inspiration to those who've been
>afraid to -- or have been prevented from doing so by their "leaders." The
>mayor's attacks on welfare recipients, city workers, housing and garden
>activists, etc., etc., have met with either no resistance or scattered
>ineffective protests (in the latter category I include AFSCME Local 420's
>protests against hospital layoffs: the "victory" of two weeks ago still
>means layoffs for most -- and for many of the rest placement in jobs in
>other agencies from which other Locals' members were earlier removed).
>
>More details on future actions as soon as I have it (and call NYTWA at
>212 627-5248).
>
>One final note: as is almost always the case in such large and successful
>actions, the mood among strikers was heartwarming and inspiring. Despite
>being angry at Giuliani and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, it was
>hard to find anyone all day without a smile. And organizers treated each
>other and newcomers like old friends, with warmth and consideration.
>
>Andy Pollack
>
Louis Proyect
(http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)