Sign up for our newsletter.

Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.

Follow us:

THIS ISN’T A PAYWALL

Common Dreams will never be locked behind a paywall because we believe our journalism should remain freely available to everyone ― not just those who can afford to pay. By becoming a sustaining monthly donor today, you can help make sure our work remains free for those who aren't able to chip in.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Corporate gatekeepers and big tech monopolists are making it more difficult than ever for independent media to survive. Please chip in today.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Taxi drivers in New York City demand debt relief.

New York Taxi Workers Stage Hunger Strike to Demand Medallion Debt Relief

"They are an essential industry here in New York City," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "and we need to make sure we're doing right by them."

Julia Conley

Local and federal progressive lawmakers expressed solidarity on Sunday with New York City taxi drivers who were five days into a hunger strike, demanding Mayor Bill DeBlasio embrace a debt relief proposal for drivers who owe hundreds of thousands of dollars for the medallions they purchased in order to work in the industry.
 
After spending a month protesting outside City Hall, members of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) began the hunger strike last Wednesday in the hopes of forcing the mayor to respond.
 
The NYTWA has proposed a debt relief program that would cap outstanding medallion debt at $145,000 and payments at $800 per month—a plan they say is far superior to the city's $65 million debt restructuring program.
 
The city's taxi drivers "shouldn’t have to be on a hunger strike," said Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who represents parts of The Bronx. "Cancel the debt."
 
 
The medallion debt crisis has contributed to widespread despair, financial ruin, and health problems among drivers, according to the NYTWA.
 
"This is a workforce that has been so, super exploited," Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the NYTWA, said in a video produced by More Perfect Union. "There has been such a sense of despair among the drivers. And so to see drivers get past the suicides and the bankruptcies and all the heart attacks and the strokes and the utter level of despair and depression, to now being on the streets, refusing to leave until justice is won... It's workers taking back control over their lives."
 
 
Drivers in New York City save up tens of thousands of dollars for down payments on medallions, allowing them to own their cabs. The medallion market has served as a major revenue stream for the city, bringing in $850 million during the administrations of DeBlasio and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as drivers have been encouraged to take out huge loans to buy their medallions.

"To see drivers get past the suicides and the bankruptcies and all the heart attacks and the strokes and the utter level of despair and depression, to now being on the streets, refusing to leave until justice is won... It's workers taking back control over their lives."

 
The city's debt restructuring program is "nothing more than a banker bailout," the NYTWA told Al Jazeera on Friday.
 
The plan is "going to give $65 million directly to the banks and hedge funds that own medallion debt in exchange for a negligible reduction in the principal owed on them," the union said.
 
According to the NYTWA, the average owner-driver owes $550,000 on medallions that are worth only about $100,000.
 
Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft as well as the coronavirus pandemic have driven down demand in recent years, leaving drivers earning little more than minimum wage and struggling to pay their medallion debts.
 
One driver named Richard told Al Jazeera that 15 years after making a down payment on a $410,000 medallion, he now owes $400,000 in outstanding debt, with monthly payments of $2,766.
 
New York state Assemblymembers Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Yuh-Line Niou were among the allies who joined the taxi drivers in their hunger strike.
 
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are also among the lawmakers that have called on the city to accept the NYTWA's debt relief proposal.
 
 
"We're here standing strong with our taxi workers because we need to make a wrong, right, and we have to make sure that we reestablish hope and life for our taxi workers," said Ocasio-Cortez Friday. "They are an essential industry here in New York City...and we need to make sure we're doing right by them."
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Comments

We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

Related

Latest News

See all
Rep. Ilhan Omar at a press conference.

Omar Leads Charge Against Baby Formula Monopolies Amid US Shortage

Democrats urge the FTC to probe "any unfair or unsustainable practices, like deceptive marketing, price gouging, and stock buybacks, that may be weakening our nutritional formula supply."

Jessica Corbett ·

A family is taken to an immigration processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

'Arbitrary, Racist, and Unfair': Judge Blocks Biden From Ending Title 42

"Only the coyotes profiteering off of people seeking protection have reason to celebrate this ill-reasoned ruling," said one migrant rights advocate.

Brett Wilkins ·

Bernie Sanders

'This Is a War' for Democratic Party's Future, Says Sanders of AIPAC's Super PAC

"They are doing everything they can to destroy the progressive movement in this country," said the senator.

Julia Conley ·

clarence_virginia

Ginni Thomas Pressed Arizona Lawmakers to Reverse Biden's 2020 Win: Report

"Clarence Thomas' continued service on the Supreme Court is a scandalous and appalling breach of judicial ethics," said one observer. "He is implementing the exact same theories that his wife used to try to steal the 2020 election for Trump."

Brett Wilkins ·

Kids draw at a playground in Washington, D.C.

Millions More Kids Going Hungry Since GOP, Manchin Killed Expanded Child Tax Credit

"Even brief disruptions in access to food can have lasting consequences," wrote the authors of a new analysis of worsening hunger among U.S. families.

Kenny Stancil ·

Most Popular

 
  1. 'We Have to Flip This Seat': After Senate Primary Win, Fetterman Shifts Focus to Beating GOP
  2. Neofascist Minority Rule by the GOP Is Laying Waste to the United States
  3. Nearly 90,000 Small Businesses in US Expected to Close After Senate GOP Kills Main Street Relief Bill
  4. 'She Can Win If We Stand With Her': Sanders to Rally for Cisneros in Texas
  5. Tucker Carlson's 'Great Replacement' Theory Comes From an Anti-US Nazi French Thinker
  6. In Telling Slip, George W. Bush Condemns the 'Unjustified and Brutal Invasion of Iraq'
  7. Buffalo Gunman's Racism Directly Tied to Mainstreaming of White Nationalism, Say Critics
  8. Kagan Pens Scathing Dissent as Supreme Court Kills Another Campaign Finance Rule
  9. 'After Which Failed Pregnancy Should I Have Been Imprisoned?' Asks Rep. Lucy McBath
  10. Why Seniors Like Me Are Fighting Against Medicare Direct Contracting and ACO REACH
Common Dreams Logo

To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.