One of the largest taxi driver unions in Southern Nevada has voted to go on strike starting Dec. 16 unless it and the Yellow-Checker-Star cab company can reach an agreement on a new employment contract by then. The vote came after a fairly surprising rejection of an earlier agreement between union leaders and the company. A representative of the union described the results of the latest vote by members as “overwhelming.”
The contract between the union and YCS expired in October, though the drivers have continued work under contract extensions. Negotiators representing the Industrial Technical Professional Employees Union Local 4873 presented its membership with a collective bargaining agreement proposal it had reached with management at YCS in late November.
According to a leader at the local, the majority of taxi drivers participated in a vote whether to approve the proposal and 80 percent voted to reject it. YCS officials contended that the real turnout was closer to 35 percent. The union did not disclose the result of the more recent vote, which was completed on Dec. 6.
The main issues in the dispute appear to revolve around pay and shift policies. The union leader said that most drivers only make minimum wage and had to go to government regulators to receive that much. Many drivers also were angered by management pressure against them wearing pro-union buttons while working, the leader said.
Las Vegas could face a taxi shortage if this strike takes place as well as another, similar strike of cab drivers. The United Steelworkers Local 711-A, which represents drivers at Frias Transportation Management, has been in negotiations for a new contract for months.
Source: VEGAS INC, “Las Vegas taxi drivers OK strike,” Richard N. Velotta, Dec. 7, 2012
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