News

With Chicago Taxi Industry on Verge of Collapse, AFSCME Offers Solutions

CHICAGO – To highlight the growing foreclosure crisis facing Chicago’s 2,000 small business owners who own and operate taxis, Cab Drivers United/

Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Local 2500 Statement On Access Living Lawsuit

Following news that Access Living, a Chicago-based, nationally recognized advocacy organization for people with disabilities – filed a claim in federal court against Uber, for violations of the Ame

Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 Members Deliver Thousands of Petition Signatures

After the City of Chicago passed an ordinance establishing a separate and unequal system for so-called “rideshare” services like UberX and Lyft, Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 (CDU) members are making their voices heard.

Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Rally Troops at AFL-CIO NextUP Summit

With more than 1,000 young union members from across the nation in town, Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 member Ezz Abdelmagid was proud to lead activists in a virtual action aimed at educating them and enlisting their support. The drivers are working to reform the separate and unequal system Mayor Rahm Emanuel created when his administration licensed so-called “rideshare” operators Uber and Lyft.

Chicago Cabbies Seek Council Action on Rideshare

Cab drivers, fed up with an unequal playing field with “rideshare” companies, took their concerns to their aldermen prior to the City Council’s first post-election meeting to let them know that more council action is necessary.

“We want to let them know that what they’ve passed, and what the state’s passed, has not gone far enough for the common cab driver,” said Rocky Armstrong, a veteran Chicago cab driver and Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 member.

Chicago Cab Drivers Begin Innovative Peer Advocate Program

CHICAGO, IL – In early March, members of Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 came together to complete a Driver Advocate training program, which adapted Council 31’s traditional steward training to meet the needs of a non-traditional workforce.

Chicago Cab Drivers Lobby City Hall on Safety, ‘Rideshare’

CHICAGO– Following their successful protest over serious public safety and economic security concerns, Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 is ratcheting up the fight, taking it to City Hall with a petition campaign.

"Over 300 of us braved the cold to make our message heard loud and clear that the city is not doing nearly enough to protect public safety and our livelihood in terms of so-called ‘rideshare’ services,” said Ram Jhally, a veteran Chicago cab driver and Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 member.

The Chicago Dispatcher: Despite Blistering Cold, AFSCME/CDU Stages Raucous Protest of uberX

Chicago temperatures this morning were in the single digits. That didn't stop Chicago taxi drivers from going forward with their planned City Hall protest of ridesharing app uberX.

Cabdrivers marched, carrying anti-uberX signs, and chanting slogans like, "Hey hey, ho ho, uberX has got to go!"

REPORT: ‘Uber is a rip-off for its drivers and the public’

The article below is taken from In These Times. Written by Rebecca Burns.

Cab Drivers Decry Rideshare Abuses

CHICAGO – Frustrated by the city’s failure to properly address serious issues surrounding the so-called “rideshare” industry, more than 300 members of Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 braved sub-zero wind chills to protest outside City Hall.

“After two years of operating illegally in Chicago, the city’s response has been to allow Uber, a politically connected, billion-dollar corporation, to operate based on a ‘promise.’ This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Cheryl Miller, a Chicago cab driver and Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 member.