For Immediate Release: November 30, 2009

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."

Ms. Desai and Mr. Tariq were seated with the highest ranking labor leader in the US, Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO.  At tables to their other side were Vice President Biden and Attorney General Eric Holden and two tables away was the President himself.  The President was seated next to Ms. Kaur, India's First Lady, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Colin Powell, and Senator John Kerry.  Mrs. Obama was seated with PM Singh at a table on the other side of the walkway.  Ms. Desai and Mr. Tariq also walked up to the President during dinner.  "We asked him if we could give him a tour of NYC in a taxi and he said that while Secret Service would not let him do that now, he would definitely take up the offer in the future," said Ms. Desai. "To know the White House knows about our struggle for justice and rights for taxi drivers makes us so proud.  That's union power.  All the drivers should know that we are winning allies in high places," beamed Mr. Tariq.

Union Brings Taxi Drivers' Fight to National Leaders

NYTWA used their stay in DC for the state dinner to meet with other national officials.  Organizers Bill Lindauer, Victor Salazar and Beresford Simmons joined Ms. Desai and Mr. Tariq for meetings with the Department of Labor, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and the AFL-CIO.  "We asked each official for support to stop high leases, the five percent credit card theft, the fifty cents MTA tax, and the hustlers at the airports and the city," said Mr. Salazar.  NYTWA has been meeting with city officials about these same issues and also for rights to bus lanes and full turn rights for occupied taxis.  “We were very encouraged when we heard the news from the Queens District Attorney's office of an undercover operation at JFK Airport during which 18 hustlers were arrested.  We need to make sure the others don't move more into the city as a result of enforcement at the airports," said Mr. Simmons.

NYTWA's fight for lower leases received a big boost when on Friday, November 20th, a state judge dismissed the garage owners' attempt to raise the lease cap.  "The garages were suing for the right to charge over $4.65 more per shift, and were challenging new TLC rules that allow the city to lower the lease caps, not just raise them, and no longer require the TLC to only or primarily look at owner profits in deciding the lease caps," said Ms. Desai.  Represented by attorneys from Paul, Weiss NYTWA submitted affidavits to make the court aware of the plight of drivers and the economic stranglehold that leases have on drivers.

"This victory gives us a great boost in stopping garages from charging weekly drivers the daily rate and stopping brokers from charging over the lease cap on paid off cars.  This legal case was necessary for future victories,” said Mr. Lindauer.

Having left for DC on the heels of a victory and hearing the positive news about the anti-hustler enforcement gave the delegation more energy in their high-powered meetings.  "The White House dinner was about bringing drivers' struggle to the highest office in the nation.  Drivers should know the union will take our fight everywhere necessary to win our rights," said Mr. Tariq.