Watch out for Joyce sa lefthanded hitter and a Tampa native, he hit 25 homers last year between class AAA and the majors last year. To get him the Rays parted with Jackson, a 14 game winner, but they have a surplus of starting pitchers.
We were looking for some righthanded pop in the line-up and Pat Burrell should be able to provide it, this from Fred McGriff who retired as Rays player after the 2004 season. The question is how he will adjust as a DH. Keeping you head in the game is a lot different when you are not in the field. They have also aquired OF Matt Joyce. Joyce is a young player with power and a pretty good outfielder. He will be the only newcomer in the lineup. Unlike seasons gone past the Rays did not have many holes to fill in the offseason.
It is going to be very hard to repeat the season that they had last year. There are not too many teams in baseball that have the money that that other team has. I prefer not to type that name as my puter gets upset when I force him to type it. Or should I say puter type person, rather than "him"
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Cab driver dives into an icy pond to save woman from drowning
We have all seen accidents and have called 911 on our cell phone's, but this man went well beond that he jumped into an icy pond, despite being told not to by 911 operators and saved the woman's life, story form BBC.
A woman whose car plunged into an icy pond has thanked a taxi driver who defied warnings not to go into the water to save her life.
James Brown, 41, was driving when he came across Caroline Saunders' car sinking in the village pond at Bishop Burton just before midnight on Tuesday.
Once he realised she was inside, he defied emergency call handlers pleas to stay out of the water.
Miss Saunders, 28, said: "He's a hero. I can't thank him enough."
Miss Saunders said when she saw Mr Brown's headlights she began pressing the horn of her submerged car.
The controller kept saying 'Please, please don't go into the pond,' but there was a car on its roof and it was sinking. I put the phone down and went in.
"I just banged frantically on the window, thinking come and help me, please come and help me, and luckily someone did," she said.
"He came and smashed the window and dragged me out and saved my life."
Father-of-one Mr Brown called 999 and fire service controllers told him to stay out of the water.
But he ignored their pleas and managed to smash the car window with a hammer he got from flagging down a passing motorist.
He said: "The controller kept saying 'Please, please don't go into the pond,' but there was a car on its roof and it was sinking. I put the phone down and went in.
"It was sinking down and filling water. Half the car was underwater already and and I could hear someone screaming and banging on the window.
"I shouted to her and she said she was the only one in the car. I was just so relieved she was talking to me.
"I smashed the window. I caused cuts to me and to her but at least she got out."
Fire crew manager Mike Davis from Beverley fire station said: "The taxi driver performed an exceptional rescue, his quick actions averted what was a potential fatal incident."
A woman whose car plunged into an icy pond has thanked a taxi driver who defied warnings not to go into the water to save her life.
James Brown, 41, was driving when he came across Caroline Saunders' car sinking in the village pond at Bishop Burton just before midnight on Tuesday.
Once he realised she was inside, he defied emergency call handlers pleas to stay out of the water.
Miss Saunders, 28, said: "He's a hero. I can't thank him enough."
Miss Saunders said when she saw Mr Brown's headlights she began pressing the horn of her submerged car.
The controller kept saying 'Please, please don't go into the pond,' but there was a car on its roof and it was sinking. I put the phone down and went in.
"I just banged frantically on the window, thinking come and help me, please come and help me, and luckily someone did," she said.
"He came and smashed the window and dragged me out and saved my life."
Father-of-one Mr Brown called 999 and fire service controllers told him to stay out of the water.
But he ignored their pleas and managed to smash the car window with a hammer he got from flagging down a passing motorist.
He said: "The controller kept saying 'Please, please don't go into the pond,' but there was a car on its roof and it was sinking. I put the phone down and went in.
"It was sinking down and filling water. Half the car was underwater already and and I could hear someone screaming and banging on the window.
"I shouted to her and she said she was the only one in the car. I was just so relieved she was talking to me.
"I smashed the window. I caused cuts to me and to her but at least she got out."
Fire crew manager Mike Davis from Beverley fire station said: "The taxi driver performed an exceptional rescue, his quick actions averted what was a potential fatal incident."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
All in a days work
I know you folks are tired as I am of A-Rod. I think the only reason he admitted his usage was that he was going to get caught. Now everyone thinks, not this writer, thinks how brave he is. Now the following is from a Tallahassee cab driver. This same thing has happened to me and yes around 10:00 am. As a recovering alky, I didn't care what time it was when I was drinking.Tallahassee is a small city, but big enough to have interesting cab adventures. We mostly have to deal with drunk college kids, yet since they think they are so funny, the stories are not as funny. The funniest people are the ones who do what they do, thinking it is perfectly normal.
This story, which would more likely fit in the context of a night shift, actually took place around 10:00am. And to think, I was working the dayshift to avoid the troubles of the night hours!
I get dispatched to the Lafayette Motel, one of the standard sleasebag inns of Tallahassee. The destination says Popeye's chicken, so I figure it would be a typical non-tip $4 fare and I could go on with my day.
A black guy and a white guy hop into my cab, acting like they're ready to go out to the clubs at 10:00am (but not dressed like it). They say they are visiting from Miami and ask me if I can take them to where the whores are and that they will pay me well. In Tallahassee, this is a very small area: a few city blocks, but yes, I know where the dopehole is. My logic was, these guys are already in the cab...I may as well comply to avoid further danger. I have thrown people out of my cab before, but these guys seemed pretty capable and dangerous. With that in mind, it also probably meant they could take care of their business in the dopehole quickly. I just wasn't sure how this would pan out at 10:00 in the morning.
I made a left onto Dewey St. and a right onto 4th Ave., which would be considered Main St. and Central Ave. of the Tallahassee dopehole. The black guy tells me to slow down next to the first crowd of people he sees, and says "These are my people," and gets out to deal with them. I pull into the Ghetto Mart across the street with the white guy still in the back of the cab, giving me a synopsis of his life story. The black guy finishes his business and comes back to the cab and tells me to start driving around again.
I go back down 4th Ave. and turn down a side street. He for some reason eyes a pregnant woman, and asks her if she's willing to put in some work. She agrees, with the unofficial approval of the crowd with her, and gets in the cab. This guy managed to score crack and get a whore (a pregnant whore, at that!) in a matter of 5 minutes...in Tallahassee...at 10:00 am.
As I drove them back to the Lafayette Motel, it turned out she grew up in the same neighborhood of Miami these two guys were from. The black guy emphasized throughout the ride that he would pay me well for this. I thought to myself, I'm sure you will, the question is will the money be real. I didn't care much. My top priority was to get them out of the cab without putting my life in danger. When we returned to the Lafayette Motel, he handed me twenty dollars for an eleven dollar trip. And yes, the money happened to be real.
One thing is true in Tallahassee: the dopehole never fails.
This is me again, how true, the streets mentioned above could just as well be E. Hillboro or Nebraska. Be careful out there
This story, which would more likely fit in the context of a night shift, actually took place around 10:00am. And to think, I was working the dayshift to avoid the troubles of the night hours!
I get dispatched to the Lafayette Motel, one of the standard sleasebag inns of Tallahassee. The destination says Popeye's chicken, so I figure it would be a typical non-tip $4 fare and I could go on with my day.
A black guy and a white guy hop into my cab, acting like they're ready to go out to the clubs at 10:00am (but not dressed like it). They say they are visiting from Miami and ask me if I can take them to where the whores are and that they will pay me well. In Tallahassee, this is a very small area: a few city blocks, but yes, I know where the dopehole is. My logic was, these guys are already in the cab...I may as well comply to avoid further danger. I have thrown people out of my cab before, but these guys seemed pretty capable and dangerous. With that in mind, it also probably meant they could take care of their business in the dopehole quickly. I just wasn't sure how this would pan out at 10:00 in the morning.
I made a left onto Dewey St. and a right onto 4th Ave., which would be considered Main St. and Central Ave. of the Tallahassee dopehole. The black guy tells me to slow down next to the first crowd of people he sees, and says "These are my people," and gets out to deal with them. I pull into the Ghetto Mart across the street with the white guy still in the back of the cab, giving me a synopsis of his life story. The black guy finishes his business and comes back to the cab and tells me to start driving around again.
I go back down 4th Ave. and turn down a side street. He for some reason eyes a pregnant woman, and asks her if she's willing to put in some work. She agrees, with the unofficial approval of the crowd with her, and gets in the cab. This guy managed to score crack and get a whore (a pregnant whore, at that!) in a matter of 5 minutes...in Tallahassee...at 10:00 am.
As I drove them back to the Lafayette Motel, it turned out she grew up in the same neighborhood of Miami these two guys were from. The black guy emphasized throughout the ride that he would pay me well for this. I thought to myself, I'm sure you will, the question is will the money be real. I didn't care much. My top priority was to get them out of the cab without putting my life in danger. When we returned to the Lafayette Motel, he handed me twenty dollars for an eleven dollar trip. And yes, the money happened to be real.
One thing is true in Tallahassee: the dopehole never fails.
This is me again, how true, the streets mentioned above could just as well be E. Hillboro or Nebraska. Be careful out there
Monday, February 9, 2009
A fair wage for cab driver's
A fair wage for cab driver's what a concept, it seem's to work in Nevada or does it could we see something like this happening in Florida anytime soon?
The story is from the Las Vagas Sun.
On a recent weekday, Tulay Koseoglu sat in her taxi at the Riviera for more than an hour waiting for a tourist to exit the property.
“This just kills me,” said Koseoglu, who became a cabdriver three years ago to escape her “ordinary office job.”
On bad days, which are becoming more frequent, Koseoglu might take home $60 after a 12-hour shift.
Momentarily, there was good news: She scored a ride for two passengers to the airport, from which she might pocket another $10, including a tip. This afternoon ride would be her 11th of the day. She had a couple of hours to scramble for more rides before her shift ended.
Her friendly chatter is tinged with desperation.
While her peers pass the time in cab lines reading newspapers, doing crosswords or playing miniature video games, Koseoglu can’t relax. Her mind is racing with worry. In recent months, drivers say, cab companies — which pocket more than half the money drivers collect from passengers — have fired hundreds of drivers for below-average bookings.
“I’m thinking about bills,” she said. “I’ve got a 7-year-old.”
Like sparse crowds inside casinos and on Strip sidewalks, empty cab stands have become a symbol of the epic tourism downturn in Las Vegas. On any given day, cabs gather at hotel entrances in lines so long they clog off-ramps and roadways.
At McCarran International Airport, a former gold mine for taxis during the boom years, more than a hundred cabs line up on weekdays. With airport traffic down 7 percent and visitor volume down 4 percent last year through November — some drivers say they are waiting 45 minutes or more for their turn at the front of the line.
Slow business has led to layoffs and fewer hours for casino and hotel workers, but the picture looks bleaker for taxi drivers, who aren’t paid a base wage like most workers but instead must depend on their ability to get rides.
These days, some cab drivers who used to make more than $30,000 a year are earning less than $20,000. Drivers who got 25 to 30 rides per shift are now lucky to get 20.
Drivers are supposed to have a safety net.
In November 2006, voters amended the state Constitution to raise Nevada’s minimum wage, which now starts at $5.85 per hour. That amendment applied the minimum wage to all Nevada employees, removing an exemption for taxi drivers.
Before the recession, the minimum wage standard was moot — all but the worst performers were assured a paycheck higher than minimum wage.
These days, at least one major cab company has acknowledged that some drivers aren’t booking enough rides to earn minimum wage, forcing the company to supplement those drivers’ paychecks as company revenue is plummeting.
Not all companies are going quietly. Some cab companies think drivers should still be exempt from the minimum wage and are pressing Nevada’s labor commissioner to take their side.
Lucky Cab owner Jason Awad called the position taken by some of his competitors “disturbing” and said companies have a moral obligation to pay minimum wage. “Drivers must be able to support themselves and their families,” he said.
Awad says he hasn’t laid off hardworking drivers in recent months who are booking fewer rides with the understanding that business is slow for everyone. Because drivers split their take with cab companies, both parties have the same incentive to earn as much as they can during tough times, he said.
“These are unprecedented times but we’re in this together, and we need to help each other get through this.”
That said, Awad noted that all drivers should be able to make minimum wage “and if they are not they should be looking for another job.”
Bill Shranko, chief operating officer of Yellow Checker Star, said his company hasn’t laid off any drivers because of the economy.
“Some companies are taking a very strict approach to it,” Shranko said. “As a company, we are taking a very liberal approach during these hard times.”
Business hasn’t been so bad that minimum wage has been an issue, he said.
It’s unclear whether drivers who have been fired since business slowed were earning below minimum wage. Some drivers claim that several fall into that category based upon dismal bookings of well under $200 per day and drivers pocketing 40 percent of that. (During December, one of the worst months on record, drivers booked an average $192 per shift.)
Driver Bill Talley says he was fired from his job at a Frias Transportation-owned cab company in September after 15 years of service.
With the slow economy, Talley said, some drivers have inflated their bookings through an illegal practice called long-hauling, which involves taking passengers on longer routes than necessary. Although long-hauling has always been a problem, some Las Vegas taxi drivers say it’s getting worse now that drivers are afraid they will be fired for low bookings.
“It’s a money game, and drivers have to steal to make it work,” said Talley, who hasn’t been able to get a job driving a cab elsewhere. “I didn’t want to get into that game. But nobody wants to hire a guy who’s been fired for low book. They don’t make as much money as the hustlers.”
Drivers caught long-hauling by Nevada Taxicab Authority police are fined, but drivers say the extra cash — especially if they think their jobs are on the line — is worth the minimal risk of getting caught.
Frias Chief Executive Mark James said his company pays at least minimum wage and is supplementing drivers who are earning less than that in rides to bring them up to that standard.
“The lion’s share of the time, our drivers are way beyond minimum wage,” he said. “If they have a low book, for whatever reason ... we make up the difference.”
Ask a cabdriver whether he or she makes minimum wage and you will more likely than not get a blank look. Many drivers don’t know the law or have never calculated whether their paychecks come out to the minimum wage.
Meanwhile, regulators say Nevada’s two-tier minimum wage law is difficult for employees and employers to understand.
These days, word is spreading and some drivers are fighting for minimum wage. Some drivers have pushed for a wide-ranging investigation or a class action complaint.
But Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek says his small staff, handling more than 6,000 pending wage claims, is hamstrung by a lack of resources.
He investigates claims on a case-by-case basis. Because a significant number turn out to be bogus, Tanchek says the initial burden is placed on employees to prove what they are owed.
Some drivers are reluctant to file complaints, saying the process gives employers plenty of time and opportunity to fire low-performing drivers despite state law protecting workers from retaliation.
“I have pretty much stopped telling drivers to file complaints with the labor commissioner because it was like telling them to walk into a buzz saw,” said Randell Hynes, a cabdriver who was fired from Nellis Cab last year.
One group of drivers has lost the battle for minimum wage.
The state’s minimum wage law includes an exemption for union-represented employees with collective bargaining agreements that specifically waive workers’ rights to complain about wage violations. But the drivers’ employer, Frias, together with the United Steelworkers Local 711A union, signed a waiver last year preventing the drivers from getting the money they were owed.
The waiver forced the labor commissioner to revoke a complaint against Frias on behalf of a group of drivers who weren’t earning minimum wage.
That a union would agree to a lower standard is surprising, Tanchek said.
“To be honest, I never thought I’d see something like this,” he said. “I can see why the drivers would be unhappy.”
Gene Brady, Frias unit president for the local Steelworkers union, said the union signed away rights to minimum wage in 2007 in exchange for a union contract at Virgin Valley Cabs, one of the five cab companies owned by Frias.
“At the time, with the economy as strong as it was, nobody felt this would be an issue, or that people would want to work for minimum wage,” Brady said.
During the boom years in Las Vegas, Hynes recalls, he made more than $40,000 a year driving a cab — about what he used to make building Web sites. By the time he complained to the Taxicab Authority last year about not earning minimum wage, he estimates he was making less than $20,000 a year.
He says he was fired by Nellis for speaking at a Taxicab Authority meeting but was rehired when he mentioned an anti-retaliation section of state law.
Hynes ended up quitting when he couldn’t make ends meet on his earnings.
Nellis representatives declined to comment.
Cab companies generally blame drivers’ job skills, rather than the economy, for poor performance.
Some companies say drivers are given more training if their earnings are more than 10 percent below the average for a given day or shift.
“We have some guys who take a lot of breaks, or maybe they were not feeling well that day, or their child was sick,” said Awad, the Lucky Cab owner. “It’s like any business in any industry — some employees don’t work as hard as others ... When somebody books $400, the average is $250 and someone comes in with $100, there’s a problem.”
High-earning drivers are in constant motion, rarely waiting in a cab line for more than 30 minutes before seeking riders elsewhere, he said. Trip sheets for low-booking drivers reveal long waits at hotels or shifts drivers ended early, he added.
Taxicab Authority Administrator Gordon Walker says it’s unlikely drivers aren’t earning minimum wage, given the agency’s own figures. According to audited figures collected from the 16 cab companies, drivers booked an average of $250.49 in revenue per shift in 2008.
Hynes, who is now seeking employment as a computer programmer, said drivers’ efforts to fight for minimum wage reflect a change in the industry or tougher times.
It used to be that low wages were an accepted hazard of the cab business during slow times, he said.
“If you didn’t get as many rides, you just took your lumps,” he said. “Now, more drivers are realizing that they are entitled to a fair wage.”
The story is from the Las Vagas Sun.
On a recent weekday, Tulay Koseoglu sat in her taxi at the Riviera for more than an hour waiting for a tourist to exit the property.
“This just kills me,” said Koseoglu, who became a cabdriver three years ago to escape her “ordinary office job.”
On bad days, which are becoming more frequent, Koseoglu might take home $60 after a 12-hour shift.
Momentarily, there was good news: She scored a ride for two passengers to the airport, from which she might pocket another $10, including a tip. This afternoon ride would be her 11th of the day. She had a couple of hours to scramble for more rides before her shift ended.
Her friendly chatter is tinged with desperation.
While her peers pass the time in cab lines reading newspapers, doing crosswords or playing miniature video games, Koseoglu can’t relax. Her mind is racing with worry. In recent months, drivers say, cab companies — which pocket more than half the money drivers collect from passengers — have fired hundreds of drivers for below-average bookings.
“I’m thinking about bills,” she said. “I’ve got a 7-year-old.”
Like sparse crowds inside casinos and on Strip sidewalks, empty cab stands have become a symbol of the epic tourism downturn in Las Vegas. On any given day, cabs gather at hotel entrances in lines so long they clog off-ramps and roadways.
At McCarran International Airport, a former gold mine for taxis during the boom years, more than a hundred cabs line up on weekdays. With airport traffic down 7 percent and visitor volume down 4 percent last year through November — some drivers say they are waiting 45 minutes or more for their turn at the front of the line.
Slow business has led to layoffs and fewer hours for casino and hotel workers, but the picture looks bleaker for taxi drivers, who aren’t paid a base wage like most workers but instead must depend on their ability to get rides.
These days, some cab drivers who used to make more than $30,000 a year are earning less than $20,000. Drivers who got 25 to 30 rides per shift are now lucky to get 20.
Drivers are supposed to have a safety net.
In November 2006, voters amended the state Constitution to raise Nevada’s minimum wage, which now starts at $5.85 per hour. That amendment applied the minimum wage to all Nevada employees, removing an exemption for taxi drivers.
Before the recession, the minimum wage standard was moot — all but the worst performers were assured a paycheck higher than minimum wage.
These days, at least one major cab company has acknowledged that some drivers aren’t booking enough rides to earn minimum wage, forcing the company to supplement those drivers’ paychecks as company revenue is plummeting.
Not all companies are going quietly. Some cab companies think drivers should still be exempt from the minimum wage and are pressing Nevada’s labor commissioner to take their side.
Lucky Cab owner Jason Awad called the position taken by some of his competitors “disturbing” and said companies have a moral obligation to pay minimum wage. “Drivers must be able to support themselves and their families,” he said.
Awad says he hasn’t laid off hardworking drivers in recent months who are booking fewer rides with the understanding that business is slow for everyone. Because drivers split their take with cab companies, both parties have the same incentive to earn as much as they can during tough times, he said.
“These are unprecedented times but we’re in this together, and we need to help each other get through this.”
That said, Awad noted that all drivers should be able to make minimum wage “and if they are not they should be looking for another job.”
Bill Shranko, chief operating officer of Yellow Checker Star, said his company hasn’t laid off any drivers because of the economy.
“Some companies are taking a very strict approach to it,” Shranko said. “As a company, we are taking a very liberal approach during these hard times.”
Business hasn’t been so bad that minimum wage has been an issue, he said.
It’s unclear whether drivers who have been fired since business slowed were earning below minimum wage. Some drivers claim that several fall into that category based upon dismal bookings of well under $200 per day and drivers pocketing 40 percent of that. (During December, one of the worst months on record, drivers booked an average $192 per shift.)
Driver Bill Talley says he was fired from his job at a Frias Transportation-owned cab company in September after 15 years of service.
With the slow economy, Talley said, some drivers have inflated their bookings through an illegal practice called long-hauling, which involves taking passengers on longer routes than necessary. Although long-hauling has always been a problem, some Las Vegas taxi drivers say it’s getting worse now that drivers are afraid they will be fired for low bookings.
“It’s a money game, and drivers have to steal to make it work,” said Talley, who hasn’t been able to get a job driving a cab elsewhere. “I didn’t want to get into that game. But nobody wants to hire a guy who’s been fired for low book. They don’t make as much money as the hustlers.”
Drivers caught long-hauling by Nevada Taxicab Authority police are fined, but drivers say the extra cash — especially if they think their jobs are on the line — is worth the minimal risk of getting caught.
Frias Chief Executive Mark James said his company pays at least minimum wage and is supplementing drivers who are earning less than that in rides to bring them up to that standard.
“The lion’s share of the time, our drivers are way beyond minimum wage,” he said. “If they have a low book, for whatever reason ... we make up the difference.”
Ask a cabdriver whether he or she makes minimum wage and you will more likely than not get a blank look. Many drivers don’t know the law or have never calculated whether their paychecks come out to the minimum wage.
Meanwhile, regulators say Nevada’s two-tier minimum wage law is difficult for employees and employers to understand.
These days, word is spreading and some drivers are fighting for minimum wage. Some drivers have pushed for a wide-ranging investigation or a class action complaint.
But Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek says his small staff, handling more than 6,000 pending wage claims, is hamstrung by a lack of resources.
He investigates claims on a case-by-case basis. Because a significant number turn out to be bogus, Tanchek says the initial burden is placed on employees to prove what they are owed.
Some drivers are reluctant to file complaints, saying the process gives employers plenty of time and opportunity to fire low-performing drivers despite state law protecting workers from retaliation.
“I have pretty much stopped telling drivers to file complaints with the labor commissioner because it was like telling them to walk into a buzz saw,” said Randell Hynes, a cabdriver who was fired from Nellis Cab last year.
One group of drivers has lost the battle for minimum wage.
The state’s minimum wage law includes an exemption for union-represented employees with collective bargaining agreements that specifically waive workers’ rights to complain about wage violations. But the drivers’ employer, Frias, together with the United Steelworkers Local 711A union, signed a waiver last year preventing the drivers from getting the money they were owed.
The waiver forced the labor commissioner to revoke a complaint against Frias on behalf of a group of drivers who weren’t earning minimum wage.
That a union would agree to a lower standard is surprising, Tanchek said.
“To be honest, I never thought I’d see something like this,” he said. “I can see why the drivers would be unhappy.”
Gene Brady, Frias unit president for the local Steelworkers union, said the union signed away rights to minimum wage in 2007 in exchange for a union contract at Virgin Valley Cabs, one of the five cab companies owned by Frias.
“At the time, with the economy as strong as it was, nobody felt this would be an issue, or that people would want to work for minimum wage,” Brady said.
During the boom years in Las Vegas, Hynes recalls, he made more than $40,000 a year driving a cab — about what he used to make building Web sites. By the time he complained to the Taxicab Authority last year about not earning minimum wage, he estimates he was making less than $20,000 a year.
He says he was fired by Nellis for speaking at a Taxicab Authority meeting but was rehired when he mentioned an anti-retaliation section of state law.
Hynes ended up quitting when he couldn’t make ends meet on his earnings.
Nellis representatives declined to comment.
Cab companies generally blame drivers’ job skills, rather than the economy, for poor performance.
Some companies say drivers are given more training if their earnings are more than 10 percent below the average for a given day or shift.
“We have some guys who take a lot of breaks, or maybe they were not feeling well that day, or their child was sick,” said Awad, the Lucky Cab owner. “It’s like any business in any industry — some employees don’t work as hard as others ... When somebody books $400, the average is $250 and someone comes in with $100, there’s a problem.”
High-earning drivers are in constant motion, rarely waiting in a cab line for more than 30 minutes before seeking riders elsewhere, he said. Trip sheets for low-booking drivers reveal long waits at hotels or shifts drivers ended early, he added.
Taxicab Authority Administrator Gordon Walker says it’s unlikely drivers aren’t earning minimum wage, given the agency’s own figures. According to audited figures collected from the 16 cab companies, drivers booked an average of $250.49 in revenue per shift in 2008.
Hynes, who is now seeking employment as a computer programmer, said drivers’ efforts to fight for minimum wage reflect a change in the industry or tougher times.
It used to be that low wages were an accepted hazard of the cab business during slow times, he said.
“If you didn’t get as many rides, you just took your lumps,” he said. “Now, more drivers are realizing that they are entitled to a fair wage.”
Friday, February 6, 2009
Adventures in strip club transportation
Are Tampa drivers getting cheated, are we still getting $5 pre passinger
In Thursday's Los Angeles Times, Ashley Powers wrote about the latest round of complaints and litigation involving the kickbacks that nudie bars pay to taxi drivers for delivering passengers.
Often this money is immediately recouped by the club thanks to the cover charge paid by the customers. Therefore, in addition to paying your taxi driver for the ride to the club, as a tourist, you are also indirectly paying the bounty for delivering you to the club to the taxi driver.
I have always found this practice despicable and have written frequently about it on the Buffet. My recommendation for tourists remains to ask to be delivered across the street from whatever nudie bar you want to go to unless the taxi driver waves the meter charge.
Even a low-paying, $20-a-head club will pay the driver more than the meter in almost every case. And because the bounty is per-customer, if three people are in the cab that represents big money to the cab driver.
Periodically, some of the clubs will start paying more than the traditional $20-per-customer delivery charge, and that is when this issue explodes. This may be one of those times.
That is at least the allegation in a lawsuit covered by Powers, whose story includes an interview with a lawyer for Deja Vu as well as allegations about the latest bounty numbers. This from Power's story:
'The clubs are being shaken down,' groused Neil Beller, an attorney for Deja Vu Showgirls and Little Darlings, which recently sued rivals that pay cabbies more. A hearing on a defendant motion to dismiss the case is scheduled for March. ... Beard said paying the cabbies $20 a passenger hasn't been enough to compete for a dwindling pool of customers. Some places are paying $70.
The worry is that the taxi drivers will run down the clubs that pay less and steer customers to the clubs that pay more. So as a test, my friend L. and I drove to the Hard Rock last night to see what would happen when we, like tourists, tried to take a taxi to Deja Vu.
The first interesting thing to happen to us is that even though we were in the taxi line when we told the Hard Rock's doorman where we wanted to go, he pulled us out of that line and told us -- not asked but told us -- to go with a limousine driver without any further explanation.
The limousine driver also ordered us along with "Come on, guys." Two taxi drivers later explained to me that, unlike taxi drivers, limousine drivers pay doormen part of the strip club bounty to divert strip club customers to them. I have also been told strip clubs will pay a bigger bounty on customers who arrive by limousine. And although I can't say for sure why I was pulled from the taxi line and steered to a limo, I know that is exactly what happened. When I demanded an explanation before getting into the limousine of what was going on in terms of asking for a taxi and being placed in a limousine, the limo driver walked away from us and the Hard Rock doorman put us in a taxi, refusing further comment.
The taxi driver, by the way, did not badmouth Showgirls, but took us there directly and honestly. However, after I paid and tipped him well ($11.10 ride for which I gave him $15 and asked for no change) there was some commotion when L. and I told the doormen at Deja Vu and the taxi driver we were not going into the club but only wanted the ride there.
After a few moments of confusion and the two of them not accepting that explanation -- and trying to tell me I did not understand that I needed to just go into the club and check it out (my friend L. is a woman, by the way) -- they yielded to the inevitable.
We were not going inside to pay any cover to resolve whatever problem was caused by our arrival. We paid for a taxi ride and had no further involvement with their payment issues.
Moments later, L. and I got another taxi for the trip back to the Hard Rock. When I told the taxi driver I wanted to go to the Hard Rock, his first words were: "Don't you want to go to another strip club? This isn't a good club. Spearmint Rhino has a lot more girls and is the club in town to go to."
I insisted on a trip directly to the Hard Rock. And so ended our adventure in strip club transportation.
In Thursday's Los Angeles Times, Ashley Powers wrote about the latest round of complaints and litigation involving the kickbacks that nudie bars pay to taxi drivers for delivering passengers.
Often this money is immediately recouped by the club thanks to the cover charge paid by the customers. Therefore, in addition to paying your taxi driver for the ride to the club, as a tourist, you are also indirectly paying the bounty for delivering you to the club to the taxi driver.
I have always found this practice despicable and have written frequently about it on the Buffet. My recommendation for tourists remains to ask to be delivered across the street from whatever nudie bar you want to go to unless the taxi driver waves the meter charge.
Even a low-paying, $20-a-head club will pay the driver more than the meter in almost every case. And because the bounty is per-customer, if three people are in the cab that represents big money to the cab driver.
Periodically, some of the clubs will start paying more than the traditional $20-per-customer delivery charge, and that is when this issue explodes. This may be one of those times.
That is at least the allegation in a lawsuit covered by Powers, whose story includes an interview with a lawyer for Deja Vu as well as allegations about the latest bounty numbers. This from Power's story:
'The clubs are being shaken down,' groused Neil Beller, an attorney for Deja Vu Showgirls and Little Darlings, which recently sued rivals that pay cabbies more. A hearing on a defendant motion to dismiss the case is scheduled for March. ... Beard said paying the cabbies $20 a passenger hasn't been enough to compete for a dwindling pool of customers. Some places are paying $70.
The worry is that the taxi drivers will run down the clubs that pay less and steer customers to the clubs that pay more. So as a test, my friend L. and I drove to the Hard Rock last night to see what would happen when we, like tourists, tried to take a taxi to Deja Vu.
The first interesting thing to happen to us is that even though we were in the taxi line when we told the Hard Rock's doorman where we wanted to go, he pulled us out of that line and told us -- not asked but told us -- to go with a limousine driver without any further explanation.
The limousine driver also ordered us along with "Come on, guys." Two taxi drivers later explained to me that, unlike taxi drivers, limousine drivers pay doormen part of the strip club bounty to divert strip club customers to them. I have also been told strip clubs will pay a bigger bounty on customers who arrive by limousine. And although I can't say for sure why I was pulled from the taxi line and steered to a limo, I know that is exactly what happened. When I demanded an explanation before getting into the limousine of what was going on in terms of asking for a taxi and being placed in a limousine, the limo driver walked away from us and the Hard Rock doorman put us in a taxi, refusing further comment.
The taxi driver, by the way, did not badmouth Showgirls, but took us there directly and honestly. However, after I paid and tipped him well ($11.10 ride for which I gave him $15 and asked for no change) there was some commotion when L. and I told the doormen at Deja Vu and the taxi driver we were not going into the club but only wanted the ride there.
After a few moments of confusion and the two of them not accepting that explanation -- and trying to tell me I did not understand that I needed to just go into the club and check it out (my friend L. is a woman, by the way) -- they yielded to the inevitable.
We were not going inside to pay any cover to resolve whatever problem was caused by our arrival. We paid for a taxi ride and had no further involvement with their payment issues.
Moments later, L. and I got another taxi for the trip back to the Hard Rock. When I told the taxi driver I wanted to go to the Hard Rock, his first words were: "Don't you want to go to another strip club? This isn't a good club. Spearmint Rhino has a lot more girls and is the club in town to go to."
I insisted on a trip directly to the Hard Rock. And so ended our adventure in strip club transportation.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Even when we are right we are wrong!!!
February 1, 2009
NEW YORK - Police say a cab driver who tried to take a purse from a woman fare beater was beaten by a group of good Samaritans who thought they were seeing a robbery.
Police say it happened Saturday morning near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal when four woman, who had been club-going, got into a fight with the cab driver over the fare.
Police say the women left the taxi without paying and the cab driver gave chase, grabbing one of the women's purses.
That's when a group of men in a passing car thought they were witnessing a mugging and jumped on the cab driver, beating him and then fleeing the seen.
The cab driver was treated for cuts on his face.
The women were later picked up by police as they exited the Staten Island Ferry and issued summonses for fare beating.
NEW YORK - Police say a cab driver who tried to take a purse from a woman fare beater was beaten by a group of good Samaritans who thought they were seeing a robbery.
Police say it happened Saturday morning near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal when four woman, who had been club-going, got into a fight with the cab driver over the fare.
Police say the women left the taxi without paying and the cab driver gave chase, grabbing one of the women's purses.
That's when a group of men in a passing car thought they were witnessing a mugging and jumped on the cab driver, beating him and then fleeing the seen.
The cab driver was treated for cuts on his face.
The women were later picked up by police as they exited the Staten Island Ferry and issued summonses for fare beating.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Very Lucky Lady
Hi folks, the following was taken from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this morning. I feel it is important to convey to public that there are hard working cab drivers out there. most of us try to live our life the same way that this driver does. Most of us don't try and take our fares on a tour of the city when they are only going a few blocks. Enjoy: Cabbie returns woman’s bag of valuables
Fla. woman spends weekend searching for missing diamonds, watch, electronics
By BEN SMITH, RACHEL TOBIN RAMOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, February 02, 2009
Someone else might have kept the diamond jewelry, the expensive wat ch, the iPod and the digital camera left in Miki Cooper’s lost bag.
But Walter Fernandez, the taxi driver who found Cooper’s bag and its expensive contents on the floor of his minivan, returned it to20her.
LOUIE FAVORITE/lfavorite@ajc.com
Walter Fernandez, a Uruguay native, has lived in Atlanta for 20 years and driven a cab for 10.
Explained the 64-year-old native of Uruguay: “It wasn’t mine.”
Cooper, a resident of Naples, Fla., spent a frantic Saturday evening and Sunday morning trying to find the bag.
Among the bag’s contents, she said, were three diamond rings, two one-carat diamond stud earrings and a Rolex watch. Cooper said the items were worth thousands of dollars.
“When I realized what I did, I was mortified,” Cooper said.
She called cab companies and the Atlanta Bureau of Taxi Services, but they were closed.
Cooper looked in the phone book for the number of the taxi driver named “Walter” who drove her and her pet Shih Tzu, Tatiana, to The Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead. She wasn’t entirely certain of his last name but she called the number and left a message.
On Sunday morning, cab drivers parked outside the hotel told Cooper they knew the minivan driver with the “WALTER” license plate.
=0 A
Cooper called Crown Taxi Cab Co., Fernandez’s employer, but nobody was there. So she drove to the Tucker address attached to the telephone number she thought belonged to Fernandez.
Meanwhile, Fernandez had called the Ritz-Carlton about the bag he’d found. He’s lived in Atlanta 20 years, driven a cab for 10. He said he remembered Cooper, whose passport he discovered in the black bag.
Shortly after that, Fernandez said he received a call from his wife, who told him Cooper was at the front door.
Upon delivering the bag to the hotel, Fernandez said Cooper hugged and kissed him and gave him a $200 reward.
“She was contentissima,” Fernandez said, “Very happy.”
Fla. woman spends weekend searching for missing diamonds, watch, electronics
By BEN SMITH, RACHEL TOBIN RAMOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, February 02, 2009
Someone else might have kept the diamond jewelry, the expensive wat ch, the iPod and the digital camera left in Miki Cooper’s lost bag.
But Walter Fernandez, the taxi driver who found Cooper’s bag and its expensive contents on the floor of his minivan, returned it to20her.
LOUIE FAVORITE/lfavorite@ajc.com
Walter Fernandez, a Uruguay native, has lived in Atlanta for 20 years and driven a cab for 10.
Explained the 64-year-old native of Uruguay: “It wasn’t mine.”
Cooper, a resident of Naples, Fla., spent a frantic Saturday evening and Sunday morning trying to find the bag.
Among the bag’s contents, she said, were three diamond rings, two one-carat diamond stud earrings and a Rolex watch. Cooper said the items were worth thousands of dollars.
“When I realized what I did, I was mortified,” Cooper said.
She called cab companies and the Atlanta Bureau of Taxi Services, but they were closed.
Cooper looked in the phone book for the number of the taxi driver named “Walter” who drove her and her pet Shih Tzu, Tatiana, to The Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead. She wasn’t entirely certain of his last name but she called the number and left a message.
On Sunday morning, cab drivers parked outside the hotel told Cooper they knew the minivan driver with the “WALTER” license plate.
=0 A
Cooper called Crown Taxi Cab Co., Fernandez’s employer, but nobody was there. So she drove to the Tucker address attached to the telephone number she thought belonged to Fernandez.
Meanwhile, Fernandez had called the Ritz-Carlton about the bag he’d found. He’s lived in Atlanta 20 years, driven a cab for 10. He said he remembered Cooper, whose passport he discovered in the black bag.
Shortly after that, Fernandez said he received a call from his wife, who told him Cooper was at the front door.
Upon delivering the bag to the hotel, Fernandez said Cooper hugged and kissed him and gave him a $200 reward.
“She was contentissima,” Fernandez said, “Very happy.”
To Sawbriars
Sawbriars, this is the world famous "Cab Driver Hotel" I spoke to Larry and he said its still there but its no longer cheap. Tom
Coach Kennedy and the cab driver
Hi Everyone I have not touched on this subject for several reasons. One there are so many storys in the news about cab drivers getting robbed, beat up and killed by passingers and others and also up till now its been he said he said.
I am talking about Allan Kennedy the head baskettball coach of Mississippi, who back in December punched and shouted racial slurs at cab driver Mohammed Ould Jiddou.
The problems started when Kennedy, Bill Armstrong, director of operations for the basketball team who was also arrested and 3 other members of Kennedy's coaching staff where thrown out of the Lodge Bar.
Jiddou was then flagged to pick up Kennedy and the four other men at the Lodge bar Thursday morning. Jiddou says Kennedy got abusive when he wouldn't let all five men into the cab. Jiddou says his policy is to limit passengers to the number of available seatbelts... in this case, his car had four.
Jiddou claims Kennedy called him (Osama) Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and then punched him in the cheek. Kennedy got out of Jiddou's cab, got into another cab, but was arrested a few minutes later.
Three things makes Jiddou's story more convincing, one is the valet at the bar backs up his side two the fact that the group just got thrown out of the bar and then there's this new video from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN0fBB1LfmU&eurl=http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=513434&feature=player_embedded.
In the video Kennedy is trying to explain to the officer who he is and how important he is, and is more worried about how all this is going to play out in the press. It was almost funny he was telling the officer that this was going an "international incident" which he later changed to a national incident.
This case will be hanging around the courts for a while, it seems besides the criminal cases against Kennedy and Armstrong, Kennedy, his wife and Armstrong are all suing Jiddou and he is returning the favor.
As for Kennedy and Armstrong are they still working for "Old Miss" I let you decide from the statement from Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone "Clearly, this is an unfortunate situation. However, after a full discussion with Andy Kennedy and his staff, who were with him, I have the utmost confidence that once all the facts are known, Coach Kennedy will be cleared of all charges."
Ill translate for you, if he keeps winning he keep working, and that's the bottom line, what about Jiddou's bottom line is he still working, or did the cab company not want to "offend" anyone and cut there losses?
I am talking about Allan Kennedy the head baskettball coach of Mississippi, who back in December punched and shouted racial slurs at cab driver Mohammed Ould Jiddou.
The problems started when Kennedy, Bill Armstrong, director of operations for the basketball team who was also arrested and 3 other members of Kennedy's coaching staff where thrown out of the Lodge Bar.
Jiddou was then flagged to pick up Kennedy and the four other men at the Lodge bar Thursday morning. Jiddou says Kennedy got abusive when he wouldn't let all five men into the cab. Jiddou says his policy is to limit passengers to the number of available seatbelts... in this case, his car had four.
Jiddou claims Kennedy called him (Osama) Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and then punched him in the cheek. Kennedy got out of Jiddou's cab, got into another cab, but was arrested a few minutes later.
Three things makes Jiddou's story more convincing, one is the valet at the bar backs up his side two the fact that the group just got thrown out of the bar and then there's this new video from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN0fBB1LfmU&eurl=http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=513434&feature=player_embedded.
In the video Kennedy is trying to explain to the officer who he is and how important he is, and is more worried about how all this is going to play out in the press. It was almost funny he was telling the officer that this was going an "international incident" which he later changed to a national incident.
This case will be hanging around the courts for a while, it seems besides the criminal cases against Kennedy and Armstrong, Kennedy, his wife and Armstrong are all suing Jiddou and he is returning the favor.
As for Kennedy and Armstrong are they still working for "Old Miss" I let you decide from the statement from Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone "Clearly, this is an unfortunate situation. However, after a full discussion with Andy Kennedy and his staff, who were with him, I have the utmost confidence that once all the facts are known, Coach Kennedy will be cleared of all charges."
Ill translate for you, if he keeps winning he keep working, and that's the bottom line, what about Jiddou's bottom line is he still working, or did the cab company not want to "offend" anyone and cut there losses?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Good news about the Super Bowl-The real problem with the taxi business
Its great to hear the Tampa cabbies are doing so well with the Super bowl, despite my previous story, enjoy it while you can.
I do have a question, did they let drivers in from Pinellas County, I have not read anything on that in Tim's Blog, in the newspaper or the net.
It seems Tampa is not the only place that can't stop selling Taxi Permits, a small town in northern Canada called Yellowknife has the same problem, and it plus the economy is killing the taxi business.
Since 9-11 the economy and stock markets have been up and down but the cab business in Tampa and elsewhere has just been down.
The cab company don't care they get there money what ever kind of day the driver had or they take the cab.
Drivers try to avoid this at all cost's because besides the cab being there way of making money its there only form of transportation, and we all know how public transit is in and around Tampa.
This story is from the Northern News Services.
City won't limit cab licenses
By Herb Mathisen
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, January 15, 2009
Despite a lengthy presentation from a representative of the taxi drivers' association asking for industry regulation including a licensing freeze city council voted to have administration allow the marketplace to determine the number of taxis allowed on the streets when they draft an amendment to the livery bylaw.
The city has until June to amend the bylaw, but Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, said he hopes to have=2 0it out much sooner.
Fadil Memedi, representing the Yellowknife Taxi Drivers' Association, spoke at the meeting and said more cabs on the street means companies are making more money, while individual drivers make less.
"It's to the benefit of both companies to keep adding, but it's not to the benefits of the individual driver," he said.
He said cab drivers have to work 16-hour days in order to make $30,000 net a year, an "amount still inadequate" to live in the North. Memedi added he wanted the city to limit the number of cabs on the road -- suggesting the city impose a five-year freeze on issuing licenses.
Marchiori said there are currently 133 taxi licenses issued, with City Cabs holding around 75 of those licenses, and Diamond Cab owning the remainder.
Councillor David Wind tried to amend the recommendations given to administration to draft the bylaw, arguing to set a limit on taxi licenses based on service levels, in-use rates and fares.
"The more cars you put on the road, the longer time it is going to be between fares and the less each car is going to be used to actually transport people from one place to another," he said.
Cabbies will have a stronger argument for fare increases when they start earning less during their shifts, he said, which could become a "disadvantage to the people who use the taxis."
Councillor Mark Heyck said the city is responsible for the increased number of licenses from the last time they issued a freeze in December 2007.
The threat caused individuals to scoop up licenses.
"The discussion of a temporary freeze is precisely what led to about a 30 per cent increase in the number of licenses," he said.
He argued that the time between the bylaw coming back before council รข€“ perhaps June and now would see more people picking up licenses and said he believed the number of licenses will eventually drop.
Memedi said the association was not consulted during the nine-month freeze, when the city was to review the bylaw to see if changes are required. Six new licenses have been approved since the freeze was lifted.
Wind and Kevin Kennedy voted for the amendment, with the remaining councillors voting against it. Councillors Shelagh Montgomery and Bob Brooks were not present at the meeting.
Councillor Dave McCann suggested the city instead limit the number of chauffeurs' licenses people permitted to drive cabs to limit the number of taxis on the street.
Other recommendations made to administration when they draft the bylaw include: restricting drivers convicted of sexual offences and violent crimes from operating taxis; allowing council to review taxi fares every year; to phase in restrictions on the number of taxi licenses an individual can possess; and to have all Yellowknife taxis use uniform colors.
I do have a question, did they let drivers in from Pinellas County, I have not read anything on that in Tim's Blog, in the newspaper or the net.
It seems Tampa is not the only place that can't stop selling Taxi Permits, a small town in northern Canada called Yellowknife has the same problem, and it plus the economy is killing the taxi business.
Since 9-11 the economy and stock markets have been up and down but the cab business in Tampa and elsewhere has just been down.
The cab company don't care they get there money what ever kind of day the driver had or they take the cab.
Drivers try to avoid this at all cost's because besides the cab being there way of making money its there only form of transportation, and we all know how public transit is in and around Tampa.
This story is from the Northern News Services.
City won't limit cab licenses
By Herb Mathisen
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, January 15, 2009
Despite a lengthy presentation from a representative of the taxi drivers' association asking for industry regulation including a licensing freeze city council voted to have administration allow the marketplace to determine the number of taxis allowed on the streets when they draft an amendment to the livery bylaw.
The city has until June to amend the bylaw, but Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, said he hopes to have=2 0it out much sooner.
Fadil Memedi, representing the Yellowknife Taxi Drivers' Association, spoke at the meeting and said more cabs on the street means companies are making more money, while individual drivers make less.
"It's to the benefit of both companies to keep adding, but it's not to the benefits of the individual driver," he said.
He said cab drivers have to work 16-hour days in order to make $30,000 net a year, an "amount still inadequate" to live in the North. Memedi added he wanted the city to limit the number of cabs on the road -- suggesting the city impose a five-year freeze on issuing licenses.
Marchiori said there are currently 133 taxi licenses issued, with City Cabs holding around 75 of those licenses, and Diamond Cab owning the remainder.
Councillor David Wind tried to amend the recommendations given to administration to draft the bylaw, arguing to set a limit on taxi licenses based on service levels, in-use rates and fares.
"The more cars you put on the road, the longer time it is going to be between fares and the less each car is going to be used to actually transport people from one place to another," he said.
Cabbies will have a stronger argument for fare increases when they start earning less during their shifts, he said, which could become a "disadvantage to the people who use the taxis."
Councillor Mark Heyck said the city is responsible for the increased number of licenses from the last time they issued a freeze in December 2007.
The threat caused individuals to scoop up licenses.
"The discussion of a temporary freeze is precisely what led to about a 30 per cent increase in the number of licenses," he said.
He argued that the time between the bylaw coming back before council รข€“ perhaps June and now would see more people picking up licenses and said he believed the number of licenses will eventually drop.
Memedi said the association was not consulted during the nine-month freeze, when the city was to review the bylaw to see if changes are required. Six new licenses have been approved since the freeze was lifted.
Wind and Kevin Kennedy voted for the amendment, with the remaining councillors voting against it. Councillors Shelagh Montgomery and Bob Brooks were not present at the meeting.
Councillor Dave McCann suggested the city instead limit the number of chauffeurs' licenses people permitted to drive cabs to limit the number of taxis on the street.
Other recommendations made to administration when they draft the bylaw include: restricting drivers convicted of sexual offences and violent crimes from operating taxis; allowing council to review taxi fares every year; to phase in restrictions on the number of taxi licenses an individual can possess; and to have all Yellowknife taxis use uniform colors.
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