Public Hearing 12/17: All Out to Support Workers Comp for Taxi Drivers
UPDATE: The hearing will be rescheduled to Janurary. More information to on new time and location soon.
In August, 2009 State Representative Mark Cohen introduced House Bill 1914. This legislation is seeking to provide workers compensation for taxi drivers. The Bill is currently in the Urban Affairs Committee.
The next step of the process will be a public hearing scheduled for December 17th 2009 at 10 am in the Convention Center, room 108. We are asking all Unified Taxi Workers Alliance (UTWA) members, members of our network, allies and friends to attend this hearing as we continue our fight for economic justice.
Workers Compensation would provide economic relief to taxi drivers in the event of injuries, accidents, and even untimely deaths. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, taxi drivers are 60 times more likely to be assaulted or killed on the job than any other occupation.
The cost for this safety net is relatively inexpensive. In New York for instance, the cost is $3.60 a day per cab, covering both drivers who work the taxi. In Chicago, the cost is about $4 per day. All major U.S. cities provide some sort of workers compensation for taxi drivers. What is the cost of a human life? How many times did we as a community, collect money to help our fallen brothers and sisters?
It’s time for Philadelphia taxi drivers to join the 21st century. It’s time for us to join the civilized world. We are not animals, or disregarded trash. Our life has value and we should demand to be treated as such. So please come out for this public hearing to voice your concern about being treated humanely.
For more on the need for workers comp in the Philadelphia taxi industry, watch "Driving the American Dream," a new MMP-UTWA video documentary.
Originally published in "Waiting Times," the members' newsletter of UTWA.
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