We’ve taken to the streets to protest the Diaz Bill (Intro 838) that threatened to tax us $2,000 a year and eliminate our ability to work for multiple companies. Nevertheless, some members, of the City Council have refused to meet with IDG representatives. Paul Vallone is one them.
Hi, my name is ___________ and I’m a For-hire Vehicle Driver and member of the Independent Drivers Guild, the organization that represents over 65,000 app-based professional drivers in NYC. I’m calling to ask why Councilman Vallone refuses to meet with us to talk about the Diaz Bill. Councilman Vallone is a member of the For Hire Vehicle committee, and every other member has met with us. His office can schedule a meeting by calling us at 718-841-7330. Thank you, have a nice day.
Come to the next IDG General Meeting to get updates on our fight to win FAIR rules and regulations for FHV drivers throughout the city. We have updates about:
1) The amended Diaz Bill
2) An IDG WIN that forced the TLC to have a hearing on pay regulation
3) Upcoming events and ways to get involved.
Parking is free & open at 7PM onwards and food will be provided.
Venga a la próxima reunión general de IDG para obtener actualizaciones sobre nuestra lucha para ganar reglas y regulaciones justas para los conductores de FHV en toda la ciudad. Tenemos actualizaciones sobre:
1) El Proyecto de Ley de Diaz modificado
2) Un victoria de IDG que obligó al TLC a tener una audiencia sobre regulación de pagos
3) Próximos eventos y formas de involucrarse
El estacionamiento es gratuito y abre a las 7 p.m. y despues y se proporcionarán alimentos.
NEW Bill Could Force Mass Driver Layoffs, Leaving Thousands of NYC Families Unemployed
New York, NY — Members of the Independent Drivers Guild are calling on City Council to enact worker-friendly for-hire vehicle laws as drivers for apps like Uber, Lyft and Juno continue to struggle to make ends meet. In particular, IDG members are calling for the City Council to oppose a newly amended bill, Proposed Intro 838-A, which could destroy their livelihoods and force mass layoffs of thousands of New York City app-based drivers. In a survey of IDG members, 98% opposed Intro 838-A. Guild members took to City Hall in response on Wednesday distributing hundreds of flyers and speaking with several Council Members.
“More than 65,000 New York City families depend on an app-based driver for their household income. Yet while companies repeatedly exploit drivers, who are largely low income immigrants, New York lawmakers have failed to enact crucial protections and instead pursued policies that only pit one sector of the industry against the other while bringing further strain to working families,” said Uber driver and IDG steward Sohail Rana. “There are important steps that lawmakers can take to reign in companies like Uber and Lyft and stop the exploitation without harming drivers and their families.”
“What on Earth do they think is going to happen if they legislate an impossible quota? Thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of New Yorkers will lose their livelihoods. There is a better way,” said IDG member Michele Dottin, who spent the day on Wednesday talking to Council Members and staffers at City Hall. “To disguise forcible layoffs of thousands of New Yorkers as a wage guarantee is about as cynical as it gets. Many Councilmembers simply lack the data to understand the implications here, which is why we think the smart move is for City Council to let the Taxi and Limousine Commission take the lead. The TLC has the data, the IDG has been helping them collect it for months and they told us they will be ready with proposals this summer. Let’s hear what they have to say instead of knee jerk policy decisions driven by special interests and political donors.”
The Guild has been campaigning for livable wage rules for months and this week the TLC responded to the IDG’s rulemaking petition stating the Commission would put forward wage rules in approximately two months.
Under pressure from the Independent Drivers Guild, which led a 300-driver protest of bill Intro 838 last month, New York City Council Member and FHV Committee Chairman Ruben Diaz Sr removed the most punitive measure from his original bill, a new $2000 per year tax on app-based drivers. But in its place, he added a new quota system that would require apps to pay all affiliated drivers for ten trips per day, everyday, whether they work or not. However, Uber, Lyft and Juno, the city’s three most popular ride hail apps, average far less than this quota. This practically guarantees that apps will layoff thousands of drivers and change their terms to require a minimum log-in time and/or a fee for using the app. The bill also would prohibit drivers from working for more than one company or app and force them to add big, permanent numbers to their personal vehicles like taxis.
Problems in the Diaz bill for Drivers Include:
One Boss Rule – drivers can only work with one app or company. Likely to create monopoly for Uber.
Permanent Taxi Signage – permanent vehicle numbers and markings on personal vehicles that are equivalently visible to Taxicabs.
10 Trips Per Vehicle Required Each Day – apps must pay ALL of their affiliated drivers for 10 trips every day, whether they work or not. But none of the three most popular apps meet that quota. Uber averages less than 7 trips per day and Lyft and Juno average four and three respectively for active drivers on any given day (let alone all affiliated drivers, every day). What is to stop them from firing thousands of workers and instituting pay to work schemes?
Thousands of layoffs: Currently Uber only has enough demand to send 10 trips per day to 40,000 of its more than 60,000 drivers. For Lyft and Juno it’s even worse.
No Day Off, 10 Trip Minimum: Remaining workers would likely face immense pressure never to take a day off and get fired for missing the 10 trip per day minimum.
Pay to Work and Shift Work: Apps would likely require drivers to pay to work in order to reduce their risk and share the costs of this requirement with drivers and require drivers to work minimum hours/ sign up for long shifts.
10 Trips Per Day Limit – Income Cap – Any drivers who are not laid off could expect that they won’t get dispatched more trips once they have reached 10. Apps would have incentive to prioritize all dispatches toward meeting the 10 trips requirement, but once it’s met a driver can expect to go to the very back of the queue.
Drivers of Luxury Vehicles May Suffer – IDG fought hard for the ability of drivers of luxury vehicles and SUVs to opt out of low cost trips that do not allow them to pay the bills. These drivers would likely be forced to take low cost trips that leave them upside down because the volume of luxury trips does not align with this quota.
Lower Hourly Earnings, More Deadhead Time – With a system that prioritizes implausible quotas, IDG expects more deadhead time between trips which will lower hourly earnings — and riders can expect longer waits.
The IDG advocates regulating the app-based industry while helping all FHV workers make a living wage. In addition to opposing the Diaz bill, the IDG is calling on City Council to:
Ensure the TLC mandates a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work for all FHV drivers.
Place a Moratorium on Universal Drivers Licenses — not Vehicles — providing value to workers while taking the power away from the companies.
Design a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle system that actually works. Incentivize vehicle owners, companies, and drivers to convert and operate the vehicles through higher pay and a fund.
The Independent Drivers Guild is an affiliate of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and represents and advocates for more than 65,000 app-based drivers in New York City. We are Uber, Lyft, Juno, and Via drivers united for a fair for-hire vehicle industry.
City Officials Respond to Pay Rule Petition From Drivers for Apps like Uber, Lyft, Juno
New York, NY — In response to a formal rulemaking petition from the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG), New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) stated it plans to put forward rules on industry-wide for-hire vehicle driver income and pay transparency later this summer. The Commission responded to groundbreaking new pay rules proposed by the IDG, a Machinists Union affiliate which represents and advocates for more than 60,000 app-based drivers in the city, stating that the Commission “is in the midst of analyzing various methodologies and will include the one you proposed in this process.” The city is required to respond to rule petitions within sixty days, either agreeing to initiate rulemaking by a certain date or denying the request. In this case, the city responded that it plans to initiate rulemaking in approximately two months.
“New York City could be the first in the nation to set a livable wage rule that applies to drivers for apps like Uber and Lyft. More than 60,000 New York City families depend on the earnings of app-based drivers, but are struggling under the weight of tens of thousands of dollars in annual expenses as apps take larger and larger cuts. Thousands of drivers with the Guild have been waging a campaign for a livable, minimum pay rate for many months and we are pleased that the TLC plans to act this summer,” said Jim Conigliaro, Jr., founder of the Independent Drivers Guild, which has provided the TLC with information on driver pay and expenses over the course of the last year, including IDG survey data, driver interviews, and input on and participation in TLC surveys.
More than 16,000 drivers signed on to the IDG’s petition, which also has support from labor and community leaders, including the International Association of Machinists, the New York City Central Labor Council, The Black Institute and the New York Immigration Coalition. IDG members have sent nearly 4,000 emails to the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission urging adoption of the pay protections and run digital ads urging a raise for drivers and recently the New York Daily News and the New York Times editorial boards editorialized in favor of such pay protections. The IDG proposed rules also include a desperately needed raise to the city’s app-based drivers who shoulder tens of thousands of dollars in expenses each year.
“I just filed my taxes and the enormous expenses and commissions brought my total earnings down to $24,000. I’m lucky if i take home minimum wage. We are struggling to get by while the apps continue a race to the bottom, slashing pay and hiking fees. It’s time for the city to stand up for the more than sixty thousand working families like mine who depend on driving for apps for a living,” said Independent Drivers Guild member Tina Raveneau, who drives for Uber and Lyft. “I support my son without any coparenting, and I am crushed monthly by high insurance rates, high company commissions, gas, vehicle maintenance and a weekly rental payment of $425. It’s getting harder and harder to make enough money to sustain a living.”
The IDG’s proposed rules would also protect riders by prohibiting apps from charging riders more than 20 percent over what the driver is paid. It is unclear if the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission intends to include rider app fees as part of its forthcoming rulemaking, though the commission already regulates rider fares and fees in the taxi sector. Currently, apps can charge passengers more than double what a worker is paid, and the IDG’s report has examples of just that. The IDG’s proposed rules would discourage price gouging and ensure drivers get to keep 80 percent of their earnings, which would return commissions to the rates riders and drivers agreed to before Uber and Lyft changed the fine print to allow for unlimited commissions.
“All working people deserve a livable wage. App-based workers are a large and growing class of Americans being denied this basic right. We are proud to stand in support of our affiliated Independent Drivers Guild, which is fighting to change that. These are landmark rules that would require ride-hail apps like Uber and Lyft to adhere to a minimum, livable pay rate for the very first time. It is a momentous decision that will advance the fight for a ‘sharing economy’ that actually shares,” said Machinists Union International President Robert Martinez Jr.
“The New York City Central Labor Council joins the Machinists Union and the Independent Drivers Guild in demanding an end to the minimum wage loopholes that force drivers to work longer and longer hours and still leave them unable to pay for housing and care for their families,” said Vincent Alvarez, President of the NYC CLC, AFL-CIO. “All workers have the right to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. We support these efforts to secure a livable minimum pay rate for app-based drivers, so that these companies will no longer be able to make enormous profits while getting away with exploiting working people in our city.”
“Immigrant for-hire vehicle drivers – 90% of all such drivers – fuel New York’s five boroughs and our economy. New York City should enact a livable wage for drivers to give 60,000 families the key to unlocking greater access and opportunity,” said Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition.
“Whether you drive a yellow, green, black, or app-based car, you should be on an equal and level pay rate. App-based drivers should not be paid less than other drivers for the same work. All of our city’s drivers should be paid fairly and that starts with equal pay and approving the Independent Drivers Guild’s petition to enact a livable minimum wage for drivers and their families. The TLC, City Council and Mayor need to treat all drivers fairly and ensure pay equity across the entire industry,” said Bertha Lewis, President and Founder of The Black Institute.
Last year, IDG members petitioned for and won a New York City law and a TLC rule which forced Uber and Via to add a tipping option to their apps. In that petition, the IDG noted that further protections were needed to ensure drivers could maintain a dignified living. The Commission responded in agreement, stating “we agree with your position that rules governing tipping are not a substitute for a regulatory scheme that ensures that Drivers earn a livable wage.” Guild members and the TLC have had ongoing discussions on the need for pay protection rules since shortly after the IDG’s launch in 2016 and continuing with the issuance of the IDG’s detailed proposal in November 2017.
A 2017 Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) survey of New York City Drivers found that:
73% of workers who had been in the industry for at least a year reported their financial well being was worse now than had been previously.
73% of Drivers worked more than 10 hours on their most recent shift, with Drivers reporting a median shift of 11 hours and a mean shift of 11.5 hours.
85% of Drivers work at least 30 hours per week and nearly two thirds drive at least 45 hours per week.
56% reported being paid less than $150 before business expenses on their most recent shift.
Workers who lease or rent their vehicle report mean annual expenses of $35,464, and a median of $31,200.
Workers who own their vehicle or have a loan had a mean annual cost of $30,056, and a median of $21,424.
89% reported that being a For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) worker was their main source of income.
57% identified their household income as less than $50,000/year. 22% of respondents reported household earnings of less than $30,000 per year.
56% indicated they care for a dependent under the age of 18.
New York, NY — New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission has until Monday, May 21st to decide whether to accept or reject groundbreaking new pay rules proposed by the Independent Drivers Guild, a Machinists Union affiliate which represents and advocates for more than 60,000 app-based drivers in the city. Support for the rules is growing, with more than 16,000 drivers signed on to the petition, along with support from labor and community leaders, including the International Association of Machinists, the New York City Central Labor Council, The Black Institute and the New York Immigration Coalition. IDG members have sent nearly 4,000 emails to the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission urging adoption of the pay protections and run digital ads urging a raise for drivers and recently the New York Daily News and the New York Times editorial boards editorialized in favor of such pay protections.
The new rules would set the nation’s first minimum pay rate for app-based drivers, while also delivering a desperately needed raise to the city’s app-based drivers who shoulder tens of thousands of dollars in expenses each year. The rules would also protect riders by prohibiting apps from charging riders more than 20 percent over what the driver is paid. Currently, apps can charge passengers more than double what a worker is paid, and the IDG’s report has examples of just that. The IDG’s proposed rule would discourage price gouging and ensure drivers get to keep 80 percent of their earnings, which would return commissions to the rates riders and drivers agreed to before Uber and Lyft changed the fine print to allow for unlimited commissions.
“I just filed my taxes and the enormous expenses and commissions brought my total earnings down to $24,000. I’m lucky if I take home minimum wage. We are struggling to get by while the apps continue a race to the bottom, slashing pay and hiking fees. It’s time for the city to stand up for the more than sixty thousand working families like mine who depend on driving for apps for a living,” said Independent Drivers Guild member Tina Raveneau, who drives for Uber and Lyft. “I support my son without any coparenting, and I am crushed monthly by high insurance rates, high company commissions, gas, vehicle maintenance and a weekly car rental payment of $425. It’s getting harder and harder to make enough money to sustain a living.”
“All working people deserve a livable wage. App-based workers are a large and growing class of Americans being denied this basic right. We are proud to stand in support of our affiliated Independent Drivers Guild, which is fighting to change that. These are landmark rules that would require ride-hail apps like Uber and Lyft to adhere to a minimum, livable pay rate for the very first time. It is a momentous decision that will advance the fight for a ‘sharing economy’ that actually shares,” said Machinists Union International President Robert Martinez Jr.
“The New York City Central Labor Council joins the Machinists Union and the Independent Drivers Guild in demanding an end to the minimum wage loopholes that force drivers to work longer and longer hours and still leave them unable to pay for housing and care for their families,” said Vincent Alvarez, President of the NYC CLC, AFL-CIO. “All workers have the right to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. We support these efforts to secure a livable minimum pay rate for app-based drivers, so that these companies will no longer be able to make enormous profits while getting away with exploiting working people in our city.”
“Immigrant for-hire vehicle drivers – 90% of all such drivers – fuel New York’s five boroughs and our economy. The New York City Council should enact a livable wage for drivers to give 60,000 families the key to unlocking greater access and opportunity,” said Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition.
“Whether you drive a yellow, green, black, or app-based car, you should be on an equal and level pay rate. App-based drivers should not be paid less than other drivers for the same work. All of our city’s drivers should be paid fairly and that starts with equal pay and approving the Independent Drivers Guild’s petition to enact a livable minimum wage for drivers and their families. The TLC, City Council and Mayor need to treat all drivers fairly and ensure pay equity across the entire industry,” said Bertha Lewis, President and Founder of The Black Institute.
The city is required to respond to rule petitions within sixty days, either agreeing to grant the petition and initiate rulemaking or denying the request. While the TLC enforces certain protections for driver pay and to prevent consumer price gouging in the taxi industry, there have been no such protections in the app-based for hire vehicle industry.
Last year, IDG members petitioned for and won a New York City law and a TLC rule which forced Uber and Via to add a tipping option to their apps. In that petition, the IDG noted that further protections were needed to ensure drivers could maintain a dignified living. The Commission responded in agreement, stating “we agree with your position that rules governing tipping are not a substitute for a regulatory scheme that ensures that Drivers earn a livable wage.” Guild members and the TLC have had ongoing discussions on the need for pay protection rules since shortly after the IDG’s launch in 2016 and continuing with the issuance of the IDG’s detailed proposal in November 2017.
A 2017 Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) survey of New York City Drivers found that:
73% of workers who had been in the industry for at least a year reported their financial well being was worse now than had been previously.
73% of Drivers worked more than 10 hours on their most recent shift, with Drivers reporting a median shift of 11 hours and a mean shift of 11.5 hours.
85% of Drivers work at least 30 hours per week and nearly two thirds drive at least 45 hours per week.
56% reported being paid less than $150 before business expenses on their most recent shift.
Workers who lease or rent their vehicle report mean annual expenses of $35,464, and a median of $31,200.
Workers who own their vehicle or have a loan had a mean annual cost of $30,056, and a median of $21,424.
89% reported that being a For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) worker was their main source of income.
57% identified their household income as less than $50,000/year. 22% of respondents reported household earnings of less than $30,000 per year.
56% indicated they care for a dependent under the age of 18.
The Independent Drivers Guild is an affiliate of Machinists Union District 15 of app-based drivers. We are Uber, Lyft, Via, Juno workers united for a fair for-hire vehicle industry.
New York, NY — New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission has until Monday, May 21st to decide whether to accept or reject groundbreaking new pay rules proposed by the Independent Drivers Guild, a Machinists Union affiliate which represents and advocates for more than 60,000 app-based drivers in the city. Support for the rules is growing, with more than 16,000 drivers signed on to the petition, along with support from labor and community leaders, including the International Association of Machinists, the New York City Central Labor Council, The Black Institute and the New York Immigration Coalition. IDG members have sent nearly 4,000 emails to the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission urging adoption of the pay protections and run digital ads urging a raise for drivers and recently the New York Daily News and the New York Times editorial boards editorialized in favor of such pay protections.
The new rules would set the nation’s first minimum pay rate for app-based drivers, while also delivering a desperately needed raise to the city’s app-based drivers who shoulder tens of thousands of dollars in expenses each year. The rules would also protect riders by prohibiting apps from charging riders more than 20 percent over what the driver is paid. Currently, apps can charge passengers more than double what a worker is paid, and the IDG’s report has examples of just that. The IDG’s proposed rule would discourage price gouging and ensure drivers get to keep 80 percent of their earnings, which would return commissions to the rates riders and drivers agreed to before Uber and Lyft changed the fine print to allow for unlimited commissions.
“I just filed my taxes and the enormous expenses and commissions brought my total earnings down to $24,000. I’m lucky if I take home minimum wage. We are struggling to get by while the apps continue a race to the bottom, slashing pay and hiking fees. It’s time for the city to stand up for the more than sixty thousand working families like mine who depend on driving for apps for a living. I support my son without any coparenting, and I am crushed monthly by high insurance rates, high company commissions, gas, vehicle maintenance and a weekly car rental payment of $425. It’s getting harder and harder to make enough money to sustain a living.”
– Tina Raveneau, Uber and Lyft driver, Independent Drivers Guild member
“All working people deserve a livable wage. App-based workers are a large and growing class of Americans being denied this basic right. We are proud to stand in support of our affiliated Independent Drivers Guild, which is fighting to change that. These are landmark rules that would require ride-hail apps like Uber and Lyft to adhere to a minimum, livable pay rate for the very first time. It is a momentous decision that will advance the fight for a ‘sharing economy’ that actually shares,”
– Robert Martinez Jr., Machinists Union International President
“The New York City Central Labor Council joins the Machinists Union and the Independent Drivers Guild in demanding an end to the minimum wage loopholes that force drivers to work longer and longer hours and still leave them unable to pay for housing and care for their families. All workers have the right to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. We support these efforts to secure a livable minimum pay rate for app-based drivers, so that these companies will no longer be able to make enormous profits while getting away with exploiting working people in our city.”
– Vincent Alvarez, President of the NYC CLC, AFL-CIO.
“Immigrant for-hire vehicle drivers – 90% of all such drivers – fuel New York’s five boroughs and our economy. The New York City Council should enact a livable wage for drivers to give 60,000 families the key to unlocking greater access and opportunity.”
– Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition
“Whether you drive a yellow, green, black, or app-based car, you should be on an equal and level pay rate. App-based drivers should not be paid less than other drivers for the same work. All of our city’s drivers should be paid fairly and that starts with equal pay and approving the Independent Drivers Guild’s petition to enact a livable minimum wage for drivers and their families. The TLC, City Council and Mayor need to treat all drivers fairly and ensure pay equity across the entire industry,”
– Bertha Lewis, President and Founder of The Black Institute.
The city is required to respond to rule petitions within sixty days, either agreeing to grant the petition and initiate rulemaking or denying the request. While the TLC enforces certain protections for driver pay and to prevent consumer price gouging in the taxi industry, there have been no such protections in the app-based for hire vehicle industry.
Last year, IDG members petitioned for and won a New York City law and a TLC rule which forced Uber and Via to add a tipping option to their apps. In that petition, the IDG noted that further protections were needed to ensure drivers could maintain a dignified living. The Commission responded in agreement, stating “we agree with your position that rules governing tipping are not a substitute for a regulatory scheme that ensures that Drivers earn a livable wage.” Guild members and the TLC have had ongoing discussions on the need for pay protection rules since shortly after the IDG’s launch in 2016 and continuing with the issuance of the IDG’s detailed proposal in November 2017.
A 2017 Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) survey of New York City Drivers found that:
73% of workers who had been in the industry for at least a year reported their financial well being was worse now than had been previously.
73% of Drivers worked more than 10 hours on their most recent shift, with Drivers reporting a median shift of 11 hours and a mean shift of 11.5 hours.
85% of Drivers work at least 30 hours per week and nearly two thirds drive at least 45 hours per week.
56% reported being paid less than $150 before business expenses on their most recent shift.
Workers who lease or rent their vehicle report mean annual expenses of $35,464, and a median of $31,200.
Workers who own their vehicle or have a loan had a mean annual cost of $30,056, and a median of $21,424.
89% reported that being a For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) worker was their main source of income.
57% identified their household income as less than $50,000/year. 22% of respondents reported household earnings of less than $30,000 per year.
56% indicated they care for a dependent under the age of 18.
##
CONTACT: Email press@drivingguild.org with questions or to request interview.
The Independent Drivers Guild is an affiliate of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and represents and advocates for more than 60,000 app-based drivers in New York City. We are Uber, Lyft, Juno, and Via drivers united for a fair for-hire vehicle industry.
The threat of another tax wasn’t an excuse for drivers to sit around pouting. Instead, 300 of us got mad and showed up to tell City Council exactly how we felt.
We are going to make sure the bosses at Uber and Lyft, as well as elected officials here in New York, hear our voice, and we’re going to do it by sticking together and showing up when it counts.
For more on what you can do to get involved in IDG’s fight for fair pay, visit idg.ms/progress.
New York, NY — On Monday morning, more than 300 members of the Independent Drivers Guild marched on City Hall to protest City Council bill Intro 838. The app-based drivers caravanned from Brooklyn to City Hall in a funeral procession in hopes of burying the bill Intro 838, and picketed outside City Hall chanting the message: Kill the Bill. The bill, sponsored by For -Hire Vehicle committee Chairman Ruben Diaz Sr., singles out app-based for-hire vehicle drivers for yet another tax and takes away their right to work with multiple companies. The IDG held a press conference on the steps of City Hall directly prior to the City Council’s hearing on the bill at 9:30 AM. The Guild also published a strongly worded op-ed on Thursday and launched a digital ad campaign on Friday that is running on Facebook and on the sites of major media outlets, like the New York Times, New York Daily News, and New York Post.
The Guild’s aggressive response to the bill and large presence did not go unnoticed by city officials. Chairman Diaz was confronted by hundreds of IDG members protesting his bill when he arrived at City Hall for the hearing. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration announced its opposition to the proposal with the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commissioner voicing opposition to the bill’s key provisions, noting the financial burden they would create for drivers.
Intro 838 creates a new tax-to-work scheme that would cost working families $130 million per year – a sum struggling drivers cannot afford on top of existing fees and expenses. The bill would also prohibit drivers from driving for more than one company or app, a move that would create congestion and delays for riders as well as longer shifts and more unpaid down time for drivers. With such a forced choice, drivers would flock to the app with the largest market share — so the bill would also create an effective monopoly for Uber.
“Lawmakers are waging a war on professional drivers, but we are not going to take it any more. The endless taxes must stop,” said Guild member Aziz Bah, who has been driving for apps including Uber for four years to support his family.
“Like thousands of immigrants in this city, I drive to support my family, including my wife and my six children. But it has become harder and harder to make ends meet. Instead of helping, politicians add more taxes we cannot afford and are trying to block us from working for more than one company,” said Pedro Acosta, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who has been driving professionally for 20 years and driving for Uber for 5 years.
“The Diaz bill’s one app rule would force us all to be a slave to one master,” said IDG member Michele Dottin, a single mother who lives in Brooklyn. “Forbidding us from working for multiple apps will mean even longer days as we face more unpaid down time between fares. We’re already averaging over 11.5 hours per shift. This bill will have us sleeping in our cars. Our families won’t even recognize us.”
“This $2,000 fee is nothing more than a $130 million annual pay-to-work tax on working poor, immigrant families — without any justification and without regard to its impact on individuals, families or consumers. The bill’s one-boss rule further poses a huge threat to jobs and economic security. Ride-hail apps are famous for slashing pay with no notice and firing hundreds of workers every month. Preventing drivers from working for more than one company means that when a driver is fired or mistreated, they will have no option to provide for their families.” said IDG founder Jim Conigliaro, Jr. “ALL DRIVERS across this industry — Livery, Medallion, Black Car and App-Based — are hurting. Instead of disingenuously pitting one set of the industry’s drivers against another — which is all this bill is doing — we should be working together on fair proposals that not only seek parity but that help all drivers, all immigrants, all working poor.”
The Guild’s prepared testimony from IDG founder Jim Conigliaro, Jr. is here: http://idg.ms/Intro838Jim.
In March, the IDG formally petitioned New York City to enact a livable minimum wage for app-based for-hire vehicle drivers, which would increase pay rates by 37 percent, and to discourage price gouging in the industry, by capping rider app fees at 20 percent, which would also guarantee drivers 80 percent of the fare. Nearly16,000 drivers signed the petition in support of the proposal. The city is required to decide on the proposed rule by May 21st.
LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE: Introductory No. 838 (by Council Member Diaz)
TITLE: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the licensing and regulation of app-based for-hire transportation and services.
SUMMARY: This legislation attempts to create a new category of for-hire vehicles and services to be licensed and regulated by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which would be known as app-based for-hire vehicles and app-based for-hire services, and sets out several licensing requirements, including applicable licensing fees and restrictions on operation of said vehicles and services. Specifically, this bill would require a $2,000 annual licensing fee to app-based vehicle owners and prohibit any worker who drives for an app-based company (such as Uber, Lyft, Juno, Via, etc.) from driving for more than one app-based platform or any other transportation service including a black car, livery or medallion service.
