TORONTO CABBIES: LONG HOURS, LOW PAY

(The following article is from the February 16-29, 2008 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St. Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3).

The findings from a survey of Toronto taxicab drivers carried out between November 2006 and October 2007 points to the conclusion that reforms adopted in 1998 by the City have not fulfilled the aim of reducing economic risks to drivers.

     A new report based on the survey suggests that Toronto's 10,000 taxi drivers, the vast majority of them immigrants, earn less than the hourly minimum wage, work long hours, receive no benefits, are vulnerable to verbal and physical attacks, and receive little support from the authorities. The combination of poverty wages, stressful work, and long hours affects both the drivers and the families they support. These preliminary findings make an important contribution to the growing evidence around the racialization of poverty in Toronto. 

     Prepared by Prof. Sara Abraham (University of Toronto), Prof.  Aparna Sundar (Ryerson University), and Osgoode Hall law school student Dale Whitmore, the report includes several recommendations:

- forming a drivers' association recognized by the City;

- requiring brokerages and plate owners to negotiate collectively with drivers about fees and terms;

- and moving lease and shift drivers to owner-operator and/or employee status.

     The findings and recommendations were presented on Feb. 13 at the launch of the report. Taxi drivers and representatives from the Workers Action Centre, the CAW, and other labour-interested groups were on hand for the event at Toronto City Hall. People's Voice will report further details in an upcoming issue.


Found at: http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/articleprint12/03_TORONTO_CABBIES__LONG_HOURS,_LOW_PAY.html