The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-02
TAXI DRIVERS
DEMAND union
TO HIT YELLOW
Low Wage, Long Hours
Exposes Sugary Dope
(Continued from paKe Ll

Continued from page IL
a commission, and the time spent in
waiting around the garage is lost
time
The night shift starts as soon as the
driver can get cab, another employe
explained and then the driver works
until two or three a m. the next
morning.
High Profits Last Year
It is by these methods that the
Yellow Scab company was enabled to
pile up a net profit Of saga, 1884 in
Chicago during 1924, a lean year for
the taxi companies.
1T was the loyalty and efficiency
Of our employees" say John Hertz, the
president THAT has enabled this
company to increase our earnings
during a period Of business depres-
sion. 1t was the courtesy, decency
and efficient driving that built up this
business and was directly responsible
for our big earnings last year"
This sounds very polite but 1t does
not increase the earnings Of these
courteous drivers" There are ap-
proximately 1000 Yellow Cab drivers
on the streets Of Chicago, including
the two shifts. On January Of last
year 2,79s cabs were on the streets
doing double shift, and 272 have been
added since that time, in addition to
525 new cabs which replaced the old
ones.
OF these 1000 Yellow Cab drivers,
only "a are receiving average earnings
over $500 per week. The average in
come of a Yellow Cab driver is esti-
mated at around $500 to $4,000 per
week. The average is nearer $500.
Displaces His Drivers
The hypocrisy of John Hertz's In
terest in the courteous" drivers is
exploded by the employees themselves,
who inform the DAILY WORKER
that Hertz is putting his energy into
boosting the new Drive It Yourself"
taxi company, which is promoted by
funds supplied by the Yellow Scab
company, and is according TO the
drivers, aimed to displace them and
make the customers their own chauf-
feurs.
The Drive It Yourself company
charges IL cents per mile for its
cars, whereas the Yellow Soab cars
charge 20 cents per mile. In this
way Hertz is making a cut rate IN
order to enable the Yellow Scab com
pany to get along with less employees.
And so the Yellow Soab company
hadt 20 pad out its banQuets with
friends and relatives of the officials,
and employees conscripted from the
Offices. A large number of the drivers
were Indifferent to the affair Many
of those who did go were given to I'M
derstand that their bosses required at
tendance.
Don't Hire Union Men
Officials Of the company questioned
about their ideas on unionism, were,
of course, unanimous in speaking
against organization T. Kenney, edi-
tor Of "Taxigrams," the magazine
printed to instill loyalty into the en-
ployes, declared Il don't think the
Yellow Cab company would prosper
II It hired union men"
David MacLean, the employment
manager OF the company, thinks
union is "dictatorial." He declared
that former union men" are being
hired by the company, but "of course,
they cannot belong to a union at the
time Of their employment"
Mrs. f. Phelps, head Of the wei
fare" department Of the company, who
is in charge OF keeping the drivers
contented, and who conducted the
banquets, paused between bites Of
white fish long enough to say sweetly,
Il don't think the men really want
to organize a union"
Drivers Demand Better Pay
One driver showed an article IN the
April is issue Of the ''Tangram" dope
sheet, written by Q. w. Gray, vice
president OF the Yellow Scab com
pany. ''You men know this company"
the article said prophetioally. you
men have made It what 1t IS, and you
are the ones are maintaining its en-
viable 90 reputation"
"The drivers are waking MP to the
fact that they are the backbone OF
the company" said this employe. I'VE
are told so often how much our work
means to the company that we are
beginning to believe It. And we want
adequate compensation for this work
we do for the company. They tell US
we mako them their profits. Well
we want these profits II we make
them, and we want union organiza-
ton TO force the company to give US
those profits which belong to u.s."