That Didn't Hurt!

That Didn't Hurt!
Good thing with no workmen's comp

Friday, November 5, 2010

Are You Tired of AAA/Yellow Cab Ownership Squeezing Blood Out of Us Turnips

This blog is for Independent contractors of AAA/Yellow Cab of Tucson.  The purpose and goal of creating this blog is to create a venue where Drivers such as myself can vent!  Also, I would like all drivers who discover this blog to post you worries and concerns on how you feel you are being mistreated or taken advantage of.  This can be done anonymously by you guys and I also want to see all of your guys thoughts so I can add issues to the case that I plan on taking to the National Labor Relations Board when I feel all of the homework has been done and our case is stronger than heck and most likely not to be beaten when the time comes!  Also my fellow drivers I want you to use this to post any concerns or situations you experience in the cab, while making suggestions and presenting ideas so that all of us who are in the same boat can impove things for ourselves and the Customers (especailly the cash customers LOL)! Which by the way we all know voucher customers are the only priority on the business end for AAA/Yellow Cab!  My personal opinion and feeling is that they basically force these voucher runs on us, we are Independent Contractors you know!  I believe they do this  because they do no want to pay all the extra costs that would be incurred if they did it the legimate way. 
You know, hiring employees and paying them by the hour, paying payroll taxes, SSI, workmans compensation, etc. etc.!   It is my personal opinion that they make a significant income off of the indigent health care government money or they wouldn't fight so hard to practically force us to do them if we expect to make anything.  I sincerely believe, that if you were to compare what the majority of cab drivers make at the end of the day comapred let's say a worker at Mickey D's who works 8 hours only compared to the twelve to 16 hours most hacks work a day, the Mickey D's employee is making more per hour than we are!  Granted you would have to figure in the costs of Federal income tax, 15% SSI, State taxes and such.  I bet I am pretty close to the truth.  It's very hard for drivers to pay their taxes on the money they earn in a taxi since most of us are living hand to mouth when you mix in the good days with the bad!  Oh yeah, and how do you guys like the fact that with the new systems we have to run credit or debit cards digitally thru them and they Charge us 10% (it costs between 1.8% - 2.8% for them NOT FAIR!), only let us apply the money due to our lease fees, is that what these guys call an independent contractor?  I don't think so.  Anyway the issues go on and on and on, so come on fellas I need to hear from you also!  I know some of you rookies (not a derogatory statement, just a fact) don't know how things are supposed to be any other way.  BELIEVE ME, THEY ARE!  I would like you guys who are interested in this to do a search on "Google" by typing in "Indepedent Contractors Taxi Drivers" thats it.  You will not believe what you will see when you start reading all of the stuff in that search.  So many others in different States coast to coast going thru the same BS that we are. 
They have gone to the National Labor Relations Board, won their arguments and won the right in many cases to be represented by a union.  Now, not every case won, but I would say it's a 75-80% - 20-25% ratio in favor of the drivers!  You know guys, politically I am not a Pro-Union guy, but in this case I have found no other ideas on what we can do to protect ourselves!  I mean lets look at the ridiculousness of the weekly lease.  Now my numbers are not precisely accurate but you know the ball park fee for a single weekly lease for a driver is $605 I belive for those who can prepay!  For those of us not lucky enough to have the full $1500 required. (oh yeah, are we legally entitled to interest on this money?)  Hmmm, now lets sell a two driver weekly you know a split is $375 per driver for a weekly lease.  No you tell me, do you drive much more than 12 hours a day, Can you?  Now I realize most of us do, but you tell me, are you the same alert, sharp, driver who started the day, HELL NO! Not only is there a lack of concern for driver safety - what about the poor Customers who are riding with a driver who's been on the road 12 - 16 hours? Because, you make the money for your lease payment that day, but then you have hardly anything for youself, but wait a minute, shit! My rent is due tomorrow and i'm $150 short, what are you gonna do?  Stay out of course!  Anyway guys time for me to wrap up, I could go on for hours with legimate points if I let myself, More later!  So check back often guys for new posts and dont' be shy submit you posts with your gripes and concerns.  Its' time to start lining up he dominos so when it is time to knock the first one over, they ALL FALL! It's time to act Guys!
Signed,
Pissed Off Cab Driver
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This blog is for Independent contractors of AAA/Yellow Cab of Tucson.  Myself and a couple of other drivers are ready to go to the National Labor Relations Board to present our case that AAA, by a totality of their actions tries to control us as employees, not Independent Contractors.  This has been done in several other states with drivers having success in being designated as employees not Independent Contractors giving them a right to have union representation.  Want some interesting reading?  Do a search on Goggle for "Independent Contractors Taxi Drivers".  Hope you have some free time on your hands to read some of the stuff you will find.  Which by the way, due to my political views I am really not in favor of unions, but as far as I can tell we have no other recourse, WE ARE TIRED OF BEING FUCKED OVER BY AAA/YELLOW CAB of TUCSON! I want other drivers to post on this blog, their comments and concerns with the things that they see wrong with things like the mobile knowledege dispatch system.  I for one believe they have so much control over how that system operates that their are trying to force us to be voucher only cab drivers, to make us think that's the only way we will be able to make any money doing this.  What kind of money do you think AAA makes off of the vouchers?  They work so hard to keep and grow the voucher business, the profit for them must be incredible! As I undrestand it, thats how they made themselves back in the day in Phoenix.  The sad thing in my opinion is that if they would just pay us a fair amount on vouchers they could still make decent money and so could we!  Do you think that they don't get paid extra for things like RX stops that we are required to do for no compensation at all.  Hell even the previous owners used to pay us for things like that back in the good 'ol days.  Who would have ever thought we would say that about the Arnetts, huh? Then there's the way they take personal accounts and pay us the flat rate same as all other vouchers a whopping 1.30 per mile! What a bunch of bullshit!  Then we have things like we are given no downtime during this system change when some of us lost between 2 and 3 days of abiltiy to go and make money, but were still required to pay our leases or Lord help you if you were on a prepaid lease!  The list goes on and on and on.  New contracts that had to be signed to continue working for yellow, and we were not allowed to take it to a laywer before signing to make sure they were ok for us, let alone after you signed it!  No copy then either, they must think we are the biggest bunch of dumb asses!
Credit cards may only be processed thru AAA at a 10% cost to be incurred by the driver, thats certainly designates us as an inpendent contractor, right?  Hell no, an independent contractor would be able to process the payments they accept anyway they like.  And, they cannot be paid out as cash by AAA, they can only be used against your lease payment.  As I said it goes on and on!  We need to fight my fellow Brother Drivers!  So, post your comments, thoughts, and legitmate gripes and concerns on the site because I am sure I will be able to obtain information from my fellow drivers that I haven't even thought of.  Remember, the more ammo we are able to build against AAA the better!  Pass this blog on to all of your fellow drivers, but be careful.  we know there are ass kissers on the driver side of things stuffed so far up AAA's ass that they would rat us out in a moment.  I would Identify them, but that action alone on my part would help identify me.  Oh yeah, Shitty er, I mean Smitty YOU SUCK!  Here's another FYI, leaders in charge down here in Tucson have a lot more control that we think!  WE ARE ALL TIRED OF THIS CRAP TIME TO FIGHT BACK! Lets hear from you.  Check back often for more, that's all for now, gotta go work, you know you don't have much free time when you have to work 16 - 18 hour a day to make a living!
Signed,
Pissed Off Cab Driver

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