As the world mourns the unspeakable affects of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, we too express our deep sorrow over this unimaginable tragedy. Three million out of a population of nine million were directly affected by the earthquake. Over forty percent of the Haitian population is children under 14 years of age. The earthquake has paralyzed the capital and devastated the entire nation; the earthquake follows after years of deadly floods and wide-spread poverty. Electricity is out. Communication networks have collapsed. Homes, buildings, hospitals, schools have been toppled. There are massive shortages of clean water, food, medicine and medical personnel. It is feared to be the deadliest earthquake in history over the past forty years.
New York City is home to the largest Haitian community outside of Port-au-Prince, the devastated capital which was the epicenter of the quake. Among the close to 125,000 Haitian New Yorkers, taxi driving is one of the prime professions.
Our Haitian brothers and sisters are the second largest ethnic group in the taxi industry. We cannot imagine the courage, faith, patience, strength this time calls upon you. We stand with you. We are here for your service. May there be light at the end of this tragedy.
American Red Cross Text “HAITI” to 9-0-9-9-9 and make a $10 donation
Doctors Without Borders 1-888-392-0392
Doctors Without Borders USA PO Box 5030 Hagerstown, MD 21741
UNICEF 1-800-486-4233 (1-800-4UNICEF)
Yele Haiti Text 'Yele' to 5-0-1-5-0-1 and make a $5 donation
Save the Children 1-800-728-3843
Resources for Haitian Families
Help for Families With A Missing Relative
U.S. Department of State at 1-888-407-4747
NYS Registry of New York Residents in Haiti at 1-888-769-7243 This is a special hotline established by Governor Paterson to locate Haitians who live in NY but were visiting Haiti at the time of the earthquake.The hotline is staffed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays. There is also a NYS registry on the internet: haiti.nyalert.gov
Haitian Consulate in New York at 1-212-697-9767
International Committee of the Red Cross has established a family linking Web site enabling persons in Haiti and abroad to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake. To locate or register loved ones missing in Haiti, visit the Family News Network (www.familylinks.icrc.org/)
“Temporary Protected Status” Information for Haitian’s Living in the U.S. President Obama has granted “Temporary Protected Status” (TPS) to Haitian nationals who were in the US as of January 12, 2010. Eligible persons will be allowed to continue living and working in the US for the next 18 months. For more information, call 1-800-375-5283 or visit www.uscis.gov.
NYTWA scored another victory for drivers as the Port Authority agrees to renovate the bathrooms at the JFK Airport Central Taxicab Holding Lot after organizers Bill Lindauer, Osman Chowdhury and Beresford Simmons made the demand at the Port’s Board of Directors meeting on December 10. A restroom trailer will be set up for one week during January 2010 renovations. NYTWA took on the cause after members called the union office and filed the complaint. During the public meeting, NYTWA also called for a long-term solution to JFK hustlers and asked for the Port Authority to extend their sting operations to Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport.
A New York Taxi Workers Alliance delegation traveled to Washington, D.C. to bring the plight of New York City taxi drivers directly to the President himself. Executive Director Bhairavi Desai and co-founder and Organizing Committee member Javaid Tariq represented the union at President Barack Obama's first and highly anticipated state dinner, held on Tuesday, November 24th in honor of the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "When we first met President Obama on the receiving line, he said, '(y)ou know I was an organizer too'," reported Ms. Desai. "This was such an honor for us. I remember the days when the old Mayor wouldn't allow us to enter City Hall. And here we were in the White House.
The garages’ association, the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT), lost their state lawsuit to limit the TLC’s powers over them and basically leave drivers defenseless. They wanted to charge taxes above the lease cap, limit TLC’s authority to only raise caps—never lower them, and require owner profits—not driver income and health —to be the chief factor in deciding on caps. Millionaire garages claim if the new TLC rules stay, they will go bankrupt. Thirty years ago, with leasing, they took away drivers’ right to a union. Now they want to take away our right to regulatory protection. Under representation by lawyers from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, NYTWA submitted key affidavits against the garages.
Fair Taxi Tax CollectionThe meter went up by fifty cents on November 1, 2009 but not one penny goes to the driver. In fact, on fares paid by credit card, and disputed or voided fares or fare beatings, drivers will lose money. Who will profit? First, the MTA – who is expected to rake in over $70 million in revenue. Second, The Garages and Brokers – who will accumulate up to three-months of interest on the money collected from the drivers; for a 250-car fleet, over $37,000 within a year. Click here for details.
Traffic Rights for Taxi Drivers! During a meeting with Department of Transportation officials and transit experts on Tuesday, March 3rd, a New York Taxi Workers Alliance delegation comprised of Osman Chowdhury, Bhairavi Desai, William Lindauer and Javaid Tariq, presented a list of proposals to ensure traffic rights for the city’s busiest and only 24-hour motorists. “Right now, both the driver and the passenger suffer when taxis are stuck in traffic. Sometimes, the rider leaves us mid-way so we lose the fare and are stuck in gridlocks we would have avoided if we were just empty,” said Javaid Tariq. NYTWA proposed the right of occupied taxis to use bus lanes, exemption from turn restrictions, more turning space in smaller lanes and taxi drop-off/pick-up stands, especially near Penn Station. “People take taxis to get to the destination safely and quickly. We are asking for traffic rights for when the taxi is occupied with a passenger so we can serve our customers better and not take an economic beating ourselves,” said William Lindauer. NYTWA also asked for all “taxi stands” which are not near transportation hubs to be converted to relief stands, stop the towing of parked taxis at various gas stations and prevent ticketing of drivers for pick-ups or drop-offs at bus lanes. Click here to download NYTWA traffic demands. Demand Money for Health Care, not Useless Technology! NYTWA slams ads blitzes, the use of GPS surveillance for tracking and enforcement, and the unjust 5% credit card heist in our response to the TLC’s Request for Information regarding changes to the current technology as well as new technologies. The TLC is reviewing the technology in taxis as its contracts with the GPS vendors come to an end in August 2010. Drivers’ interests are up against the financial interests and political capital of over 150 others, mostly technology companies looking for an exclusive market for their nonsense products. TLC is currently reviewing the responses. Get ready for GPS Fight Part 2. Click here to download NYTWA’s response. Stop the 5% Credit Card Heist!
