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APA Taxi Drivers Unite for Their Rights

By Ji Hyun Lim
AsianWeek Staff Writer

An ornate dragon danced merrily. Loud, blaring music boomed out of large speakers and firecrackers exploded. Gathering in San Francisco Chinatown’s Spofford Alley, two dozen taxi drivers and community leaders celebrated the momentous inauguration of the San Francisco Asian Taxicab Association (SFATA) Saturday, Sept. 21.

District 4 Board of Supervisors candidate Andrew Lee was master of ceremonies for the event, as translators and presenters spoke in English and Cantonese. Honored guests included Police Chief Prentice Earl Sanders, San Francisco Examiner publisher Florence Fang and the Taxicab Workers Union Chair Ruach Graffis.

Asian Pacific American cabbies in San Francisco gathered to show their support for the newly formed organization which has some 200 members. This group articulated the need to provide resources that will help APA taxicab drivers by informing them of government regulations and increasing their business and service.

Musicians and lion dancers prepare to celebrate for the SFATA grand opening celebration.

“Asian Americans have little power or recognition,” said a taxi driver who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. “They get a lot of discrimination such as being forced to drive late, no choice of cars and no leave of absence.”

According to this driver, many non-English speaking drivers may wait up to four to five hours for a car, preventing them from earning their day’s pay. Many, especially South Asians, are blatantly discriminated against and are often asked to produce a green card before starting a shift. One cab driver allegedly asked for some time off to take care of his sick wife and had his deposit revoked for not showing up to work.

Still, some cab drivers are unaware of their rights because of language barriers and continue to endure stressful work without health insurance coverage, benefits or retirement pensions.

Ruach Graffis, chair of the United Taxi Cab Workers, has been driving since 1973. Prior to 1984, she claims there were no union cabbies in San Francisco. Despite the risk of being blackballed by taxi companies, Graffis became involved in unionizing workers in 1989. Since then, she explains that it has been quite a struggle.

“Drivers have trouble getting workers’ compensation and companies deny the drivers their rights,” Graffis said. “We want to change that by representing them when they apply for workers’ compensation and unemployment.”

Taxicab Workers Union Chair Ruach Graffis.

There is hope though. Since passing of Prop. D in March of 1999, Mayor Willie Brown authorized the creation of the Taxi Commission. Safety will be taken to a higher level, as all vehicles will have security cameras installed by Jan. 2003. Drivers will also have an opportunity to air grievances to the commissioners who will then issue and regulate permits and make sure drivers are being courteous and are treated fairly.

“We can’t have unregulated taxi industry overstepping boundaries,” Naomi Little, the executive director of the San Francisco Taxi Commission explained.

Little argues that legal recourse may not be the only solution and that many grievances can be worked out through translators and meetings. She points out that the commission plans to sit in on meetings to ensure that taxi drivers can voice their concerns and collaborate with the commission on contracts.

Said Little, “They need to form associations like these to help them enter into fair contracts and let them know their rights in numbers and give them more bargaining power.”

Reach Ji Hyun Lim at jlim@asianweek.com.