Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
During the boom years in Las Vegas, a line of taxis such as this at McCarran International Airport would have moved quickly. But with the economy in a recession and fewer people flying here for vacation, cabdrivers say they can wait as long as 45 minutes to book fares from the airport.
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 | 7:03 p.m.
Sun coverage
Union taxi drivers in a contract dispute with the Frias Transportation Management group have overwhelmingly rejected a labor agreement and authorized union leaders to strike.
A representative of the United Steelworkers Local 711-A said in a contract vote Tuesday that 99.5 percent of nearly 1,800 Frias drivers rejected the contract, citing a dispute over proposed changes in seniority policy.
Representatives of Frias could not be reached for comment, but a spokeswoman for the union said a negotiating committee of union and management representatives would meet next Tuesday to consider any new proposals.
Frias is the largest taxicab operator in Southern Nevada, owning the ANLV, Virgin Valley, ABC Union, Vegas Western and ACE Cab companies. The Steelworkers also have union contracts with the Whittlesea Bell group, which includes the Whittlesea Blue and Henderson Taxi companies, and is in the process of negotiating their first contract with Western Cab Co. The union represents about 3,000 transit drivers in Southern Nevada.
Union staff representative Julie Holzer said the contract vote only affects the five Frias companies and that she doesn't expect other union drivers to join the action.
Local 711-A Unit President Yonus Tessema said the proposed Frias seniority policy would modify the bid order for shifts and what vehicles they drive. He said new drivers joined senior workers in opposition to the proposal.
Drivers are working under a contract extension after the previous agreement expired Sept. 11. The extension allows drivers to continue working under the previous contract while talks proceed, but the vote also gives the union leverage by allowing its negotiating committee to call a strike.
Cab drivers have struck and demonstrated in Las Vegas in the past over various issues.
In February, off-duty cab drivers slowed traffic on the Strip for three hours to call attention to new allocations of cabs that resulted in fewer fares for the larger number of drivers.
In 2011 and 2008, drivers staged similar demonstrations over the allocation of additional licenses for cabs.
Who runs and own the company the union. This only proves my point that unions are only after one thing, members and company money. To strike over senority change, come on. Unions do not prove product or service to the general public, they only want control of companies and send them into bankruptcy and them move on to the next. Steelworker's union and cab drivers. Just ask the steelworker's union what happen in Pittsburg?? Unions do not create jobs, they lose jobs, chase customers away and stall the economy. Unions have been under funding their pensions for year, they have a bill in Washington just waiting to pass, that used taxpayers money to guarantee their pension which they have been under funding, in other words, taxpayers will be funding their pension. One has to ask, what have unions been doing with members dues and fees???
Good! Let them strike! Maybe we can finally build a tram that goes all the way to the airport as it should! Screw cabbies and their long-hauling! They give Las Vegas a bad name already.
Frias use to be one of the best company to work for,but now days this company managed by non qualified people including LVL,they want to get rid off most senior drivers with full benefit,and pressuring new drivers to book high(long hauling).the drivers who book high are usually drive reckless and causing many accidents in the valley,and with out a union this non qualified managers harass drivers for every little detail,and the video cam in the caps which suppose to be a snap shot for cab robbers now works against the driver,when the managers want to get rid off a driver they monitor the video cam 24/7 by disregarding the privacy of the driver and customer.i'm not fan of unions but not on this case.
Arrest the cab owners and throw the book at them. All of them , then let drivers bid on the medallions. Problem solved.
Some taxi drivers from all companies long haul. However it is well known among cab drivers that Nellis Cab, Lucky Cab, and Desert Cab are the most prolific. If you go to the Taxicab Authority website and look up the monthly statistics, you will see these three companies average $80 PER SHIFT more than all the other taxi companies. PER SHIFT.
The common factor between these companies??? They award their shifts based upon 'productivity.' In other words they reward the long haulers with better cabs and better shifts. Yellow-Checker-Star Cab and the five Frias Transportation companies mentioned in the article have until now assigned their cabs and shifts based upon seniority. If this contract passes you can see where this is headed. The union is fighting for the driver and the riding public.
If 2000 cab drivers strike...there will bee 2000 cab drivers left to cover the fares...hmmm... perfect timing for 4 months of really, really, slow !
I believe the long hauling should stop!...It gives Vegas Cabbies all a bad name...though it keeps the shuttles busy...where to draw the lines?
Cab companies should reward honest drivers!
Frias should be willing to grab a reputation of having only honest drivers...that would be a win win!
express445...
Your silly diatribe is a great argument FOR unionization.
Is that for real???
If the Government was "Smart" PUKE they would had a shuttle service put in LONG-TIME ago. Get off the Plane onto the "Shuttle" and off to the strip within minutes. HELLO WTF WHY is this so hard to comprehend OH, we know it's called the Government idiots who votes on things like this being "PAID-OFF" by the morons who runs the "CABS". PUKE
I'm a regular visitor to Vegas. I use the cabs at the airport. I also tell the cabbie which route to take. People need to be aware of the rates, and tip accordingly. If my driver takes the long way there is no tip. If he takes the shortest route hes tipped very well(30%) As far as the shuttle service is concerned it takes too long to get from the airport to the Hotel and there is not much difference in cost.
I'm a union supporter(although I've never been in one). This argument seems pretty silly to me.
Why are new non-union cab companies not allowed to enter the "free market"?
I drive for one of the Frias cab companies. I agree that there is a reason to drop seniority. That is because many of the senior drivers just do enough to stay in the average and not work for more than that. Some drivers go to the airport before planes come in to sleep for a few hours.
The problem is it should not be based on how much they book. This is awarding the long-haulers. If this happens Frias will be like Nellis and Dessert where drivers are forced to long-haul to keep their jobs.
The company says they are not forcing long-hauling. If not, why in the contract are they giving the top 10% a $500 yearly bonus.
Their bid matrix is not bad but still bent to the long-haulers to get the best cabs and shifts.
Also with all the money they make from advertising, their new venture Roll Deals and from the transportation fleet, they will not contribute to a 401K plan they are offering unless they take it from the drivers to give it back in the 401K
Frias top, Mark James is only concerned on his bonus and bottom line and the hell with the drivers and their income.
Until the Taxi Cab Authority starts pulling medallions for violations, the problem with long hauling passengers is never going to end. The companies and drivers both want to maximize their income. Only when the Taxi Cab Authority gets serious with the penalties is it going to get better.
Pay the cab drivers a hourly wage and everthing will be Groovy! I love Vegas!
did someone say "mini-cab"?