Teamster Taxi Drivers Protest UberX and Lyft Car Services

In an anti-capitalist maneuver, Teamster-represented taxi drivers allege car services like UberX and Lyft are operating illegally and are stealing work from taxi drivers. According to the taxi union in Washington D.C., taxi drivers have to pay 25 cents to the D.C. Taxi Commission for every ride, while UberX and Lyft do not. They have to pay $125 every year for a picture ID, they must be fingerprinted, they have to have FBI background checks, and they have to have commercial license plates. Ride-sharing companies like UberX and Lyft don’t have to do any of those things and are oftentimes less expensive to ride than traditional taxi cabs.

The stance taken by the Teamsters is typical: they are against the companies being able to operate in this manner, not against the drivers, themselves. In fact, they like the drivers so much that they are trying to organize them in many states. Union president Ferline Buie said her members are trying to make the case that the rules governing online cab services are unfair to traditional (union) drivers.