Posted on 07/21/2008 1:05:28 PM PDT by AreaMan
United cabbies have elected driver accused of assault
by brian x. mccrone / metro philadelphia
JUL 21, 2008
PHILADELPHIA. The past two weeks have been momentous ones for the city’s roughly 3,000 taxi drivers, with an election July 9 that unified fragmented unions and a meeting last week that appointed 15 board members.
But the election of longtime drivers’ advocate Ron Blount as president of the newly-formed Unified Taxi Workers Alliance — by 64 percent of an estimated 900 to 1,000 votes cast — has put the new group at immediate odds with the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Blount, who was president of one of the old unions and is a longtime driver, is awaiting a court hearing in August on simple assault and false imprisonment charges for an alleged incident with a passenger. An aggravated assault charge was dropped last month.
“We’re quite concerned with the president they’ve elected who has outstanding charges against him,” PPA official James Ney said last week. “We’re wondering why the drivers would elect someone like that.”
But Blount said his fellow cabbies know his dedication to their fight for better benefits and regulations.
“The next thing is to get al 3,000 full-time drivers to be members,” he said of his priorities. “We are also going to push for better workers’ compensation, like life insurance and dental and health plans. We want the current five-percent credit card surcharge off the drivers’ backs too.”
One driver, John Hough, who is serving in a temporary leadership role with the new union, said he and many other drivers have confidence in the controversial new president.
“We fully believe he’s innocent and will beat the charges,” Hough said.
They can't give the total to within 100, but they can get the percentage exactly right.
Somebody 'splain that to me...
Hey, you some kinda trouble maker? You some kinda college boy? Don't believe your union brothers are on the up and up?
900 or so votes cast.
64% of those votes cast for Blount.
So 19% of the membership voted for him.
I’d want to hear more details of the incident before getting worked up about it. Did he lock the doors and/or drive off when a passenger tried to get out without paying? Taxi-driving can be a rough business.
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