Evening star., 1953-02-11
Union Faces
Tough Job in
Affi|iaing Cabs
It's Been Tried
Before, but There
Are Just Too Many
By Hermon F. Schoden

by Herman T. Schoden
The AFL Teamsters' Union, by
it's avowal to organize the taxi
cab drivers of Washington. has
cut out a rugged piece Of busi-
ness for itself.
Many have tried in the past,
including the teamsters them
selves, and none has succeeded
in keeping the hackers under
union contract.
Now Dave Beck. new president
of the teamsters. announces a
drive to make it the biggest
union in Washington. The ambi-
ton comedies with the recent
removal to Washington of the
unions international headcuar-
terS.
In number. at least, the organ
izers have rich pickings in the
cabbie field. Right now Washing-
ton is swarming with them--the
greatest hired fleet in the Dis
trict's history-and they are
growing so fast Hack Inspector
Thomas T. Heffernan is hard
put to enroll them.
1890 Hackers.
BY his figures, 1920 hackers
are cruising the streets. The
PUG has licensed 10.335 cabs
(sone drivers work different
shifts in the same cab. Even
with 1924 of the cabs listed as
off the street or uninsured. there
still are an astronomical 9.10t IN
action.
But what is more amazing is
the way applicants keep pouring
into 1t. Heffernan's Office.
Twice a week he holds tests.
and each session attracts be-
tween SO and rs candidates.
About so of them pass the exams
each week.
The reason? It's perplexlng
but most likely ties in with the
change in Federal Government
administration. Many of the
neophyte cabbies are Govern
ment workers, and they seem
uneasy about their jobs, says 1t.
Heffernan.
Spare-Time Drivers.
Already the streets are choked
with part-time drivers-fellows
who work for Government
agencies and double in hacking
lin their spare time.
NJ And this 60 per cent of the
entire cabbie corps is one reason
EnnipEls org slaizers have found it
difficult to get the drivers on
the dotted line. They don't re-
gard hacking as their No. !
profession. - ( H#
The unions can't do it because
they can't collect dues by check
off," one taxicab company official
believes. "T'hey can't collect by
check-off because every cab
driver is in business for himself
in Washington. The company
has no control over his wages"
The PUG lists 1896 cabs as
belonging to protected fleets Of
certain color designs. 4,720 be-
longing to associations and 719
independents.
Most Own Cabs.
Most Washington cabbies own
their own cabs. The fact that it
is so easy to buy cab is cited
by some company officials as the
biggest reason for the density Of
drivers.
Some concerns insist on a one
third down payment on new cabs.
but others turn them loose with
no down payment, while the
drivers pay them out at a stiff
weekly rate. When the last pay
ment is made. the title is turned
over to the driver.
About five organizing attempts
have been made on Washington
cabbies since 1920. Right after
vi Day. the teamsters signed
up between 1000 and 5000 Of
them, and appeared well on their
way to a strong movement.
But as soon as they got what
they wanted. they started drift
ing out" said a union official.
They wanted a better insurance
plan, and that seemed to satisfy
them"
An executive Of one leading
taxicab firm said he would well
come q strong union here. But
that time will never come until
Congress legislates power to the
PUG for limiting the number Of
cabs. he said.
His idea of a reasonable maxi
mum number of cabs was 1000.
The taxicab industry has tried
a long time for this limitation.
and is trying again in this
session of Congress. So far the
attempts have been as futile as
the unions efforts to unionize.