NYTWA Membership Brochure 2015

NYTWA

JUSTICE. RIGHTS. RESPECT. DIGNITY.Drivers Serve the World.We Serve the Drivers.

T: 718-‐70-‐NYTWA(718-‐706-‐9892)F: 718-‐391-‐0169 31-‐10 37th Ave

Suite 300Long Island City,

NY 11101

[email protected]

Office Hours: Mon -‐ Fri

11AM -‐ 8PM

JOIN NOW!Dues Only $100 Yearly ✓ License ProtecJon

✓ Legal Advice✓Health✓ Finances✓ Classes✓And More!

MEMBERSHIP

BENEFITS

TICKETS & LICENSING

For drivers, our license is our livelihood – without it, we cannot work. For this reason, the union offers mulJple levels of protecJon to keep your Hack or FHV in good standing. Our staff will give you free evaluaJons and advice on points, send out reminders, as well as inform you of updates to DMV and TLC rules and policies. Finally, we offer discounted aVorney representaJon for a wide range of Jckets and summonses.

DMV TICKETS • ATTORNEY RATES

• ManhaPan (non-‐speeding): $60• Speeding, any borough: $100• Queens / Brooklyn / Bronx, any violaJon: $100• Staten Island: $250• More than one Ycket per incident: $25 each addiJonal

Upstate / Out-‐of-‐State: The legal procedure of each county is different. If an aVorney is required, we will find one low-‐cost for you.

+ You do not need to aVend the Hearing if DMV does not require it. Our aVorney will represent you.

+ NYTWA will mail and call you with the result of your case.

DMV ABSTRACT & REVIEW• Print-‐Out: We can print a DMV Abstract at the office for only $10, plus a staff member will review it with you. Abstracts contain the full history of your driving record.

Coming Soon! NYTWA’s Defensive Driving Course, which can earn you credit and help reduce your points.

BONDS• Bonds are posted on your behalf when necessary, so that your license is not suspended. The $40 cost of each bond needs to be reimbursed to the union.

• If found Not Guilty, we mail the form to DMV to get your refund back.

CRITICAL DRIVER PROGRAM (CDP)& PERSISTENT VIOLATOR PROGRAM (PVP) REVIEWDMV and TLC have rules to suspend your DMV or your Hack based on DMV points. We will evaluate the condiJon of your DMV & TLC licenses for you free of cost and show you how to count the points on your Abstract in order to avoid suspension or revocaJon.

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APPEALS• If necessary, we will help you file an Appeal at no charge. Cost to DMV: $10 Appeal Fee + $50 transcript deposit (money not used by DMV is returned). All fees refundable if you win appeal.

→ Bring all types of 7ckets to the union office immediately so that you don’t miss your deadlines.

TLC TICKETS • ATTORNEY RATES• Customer Complaints: $150. If the customer does not show up or call in, you will get $50 back.

• CriYcal Driver Program (CDP): $150• Other TLC MaPers (JFK, Queens Blvd, revocaJons, fitness hearings): $25 to $200

• Summonses at Queens Blvd: $60-‐$100• MoYons to Vacate, in case you miss the hearing: $50-‐150• Appeals: $35 to $150

Coming Soon! NYTWA Pro Se Clinic at TLC Queens Court to advise and protect taxi drivers who seek to represent themselves in court or have other legal quesJons.

Appeal: A challenge to overturn a decision against you. Appeals are used to stop or delay a suspension and to give you more Jme to pay a fine. MoYon to Vacate: A request to Court to withdraw a Guilty verdict and give you a new Hearing date if you were found Guilty as the result of no one showing up to represent you at a scheduled Hearing.

Key Term

sWe can help you file Appeals and MoYons to Vacate to DMV, TLC, PVB, and Small Claims Court. Each court has its own paperwork and deadlines to file.

+ TLC may require you to aVend a Hearing.

TLC SETTLEMENTS & PAYMENT PLANS• Group SePlements: When TLC sends summonses for common violaJons to many drivers, we fight for lower fines for all and to stop suspensions.

• Payment Plans: We will help you apply for payment plans for high fines or outstanding judgments.

• Hack Renewal Date Reminders by mail, to protect you against having to start anew or paying a late fee.

• Drug Test Reminders by mail, to protect you against fines and suspension for missing your annual drug test.

• Fitness Hearing PreparaYon. We provide support leVers for members and get you representaJon.

• New ApplicaYon Support. We will help you fill it out.• Re-‐entry Support following revocaJon.

TLC LICENSING

‘OWNER MUST DRIVE’ CONTRACTSWe provide contracts which Owner-‐Drivers can use to designate a driver for their OMD shim requirements. Don’t go to a garage/broker. Lease to your fellow driver. We will help.

The court decides the result and fines in each case. The union cannot guarantee the final outcome, but our job is to provide good aVorneys and stand with you to defend your license. -‐3-‐

NYTWA files ArYcle 78 appeals in State Court to defend drivers unfairly punished by OATH court. Judgement becomes new legal standard the courts have to use in all future cases.

CRIMINAL COURT TRAFFIC TICKETS

Come in for a free consultaJon. If you are traveling, we will take care of the Jcket and send a leVer to the court.

PARKING TICKETS

All Taxi Stand Jckets or others with good evidence, we fight for free.

If the Jcket requires a Hearing, the fine amount is needed along with a copy of the Jcket and your Driver’s License.

+ If the Jcket is dismissed, you’ll get half of the fine back.

We also offer free consultaJons and discounted legal representaJon on many other maVers, such as:

LEGAL SUPPORT

MONTHLY LEGAL CLINIC

Drivers and families can come to NYTWA’s office to get free, confidenJal, one-‐on-‐one consultaJons from top-‐notch lawyers on a range of issues.

Simply sign up for an appointment, usually the third Wednesday of the month, in the amernoon.

You’ll meet with an aVorney from AALDEF (Asian American Legal Defense and EducaJon Fund).

+ This is for legal advice. We will help you find legal representaJon if necessary.

ONLINE SERVICES

→ Please bring in:

• Copy of Ticket• Driver’s License• Fine Amount

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• ImmigraJon• Bankruptcy• Workers CompensaJon• Personal Injury• Property Damage• Police Abuse• Public Benefits

• Family-‐Related (Divorce, AdopJon)

• Tenant-‐Landlord Disputes• Property Damage Lawsuits• Medicaid and HRA Fraud InvesJgaJons

• Website Payments can be completed at the NYTWA office.• DMV• TLC• PVB• MTA

• Update your address and other informaJon online with TLC.• Print out your GPS Reports at the office. • We can also help you set up an E-‐mail account!

INDUSTRY GRIEVANCES REPRESENTATION

NYTWA uses the power of the union to solve your problems with a Garage, Broker, GPS Vendor, TLC, OATH Court, or NYPD.

Just some of the issues where we have helped our members:

• Lease Overcharges• Unfair TLC License Suspension• Early Removal of Medallion by Broker• Broker Repossession of Car• Port Authority Dispatcher Complaints• NYPD Abuse or Neglect• Change of Car ReJrement Date by TLC

Major recent victories have been won as a result of our members coming forward to expose corrupt Garages and Brokers – fleet owners are forced to make seVlements, go to court, or have their business closed following TLC invesJgaJon. DRIVER POWER!

IF YOUR RIGHTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, SPEAK UP AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK !

+Any personal info you provide is confidenJal and will not be shared with garages/brokers.

+ You may choose to file a complaint with TLC and/or the NY State AVorney General’s Office. We can help you with this.

+ You can remain anonymous.

LEASE OVERCHARGES

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There are many ways that a garage or broker can overcharge:

• Lease rates that go over the TLC lease cap amount• Garage demand for vehicle repair money• AddiJonal unauthorized fees -‐-‐ phony “late return” and “late payment” fees, TLC inspecJon fees, and non-‐specifc charges such as “vehicle expense”.

$2 Million Recovered for Drivers in 2 Years!

Aug 2014 -‐ SLS Jet Management ordered by NY AVorney General to pay back $1.4M to taxi drivers!

Dec 2013 -‐ $750,000 owed back to drivers from 28th Street Mgt, Downtown Taxi Mgt, Tunnel Taxi Mgt, and Woodside Management!“Stop Work Order”

sign outside Tunnel.

CRIME VICTIM SUPPORT

If you are assaulted, harassed or robbed, NYTWA will stand with you for jusJce.

WORKERS COMPENSATION

NYS DISABILITY INSURANCE

• Pays for loss of income and medical bills! Also provides a death benefit for surviving spouses and children.

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Come to the union office to file for Workers CompensaYon. This is for when you are out of work due to an on-‐the-‐job injury or illness.

You may instead need to apply for NY State Disability Insurance. This is for when you are out of work due to off-‐the-‐job injury or illness.

• Pays for loss of income, approximately $170 a week for up to 26 weeks.

• Covers maternity leave and pregnancy

• People with disabiliJes longer than 26 weeks can apply for Federal Disability. We can help with this too.

• Get your story out to the media and fellow drivers

• Legal advice• Follow-‐up for your case

• If the assault is a hate crime, we will fight for it to be recognized and prosecuted as a hate crime.

ATTENTION: Assaul7ng a Taxi or Livery

Driver Is Punishable By Up to 25 Years In Prison.

Warning signs required by law in every taxi and

livery.

VICTORY! Tax and Livery Driver ProtecJon Act

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LOANS AND FREE TAX FILING

• Tax PreparaYon & Filing / Earned Income Tax Credit Filing

• Low-‐Interest $500 -‐ $2,000 Loans offered through our partnership with Credito Emprendedor. Just fill out a two-‐page applicaJon. The approval process only takes up to a week, and members can pay money back in 3 or 6 months.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

LIFE INSURANCE

We help members become insured and find low-‐cost health services.

• Help in applying for Medicaid, a free plan for low-‐income individuals. Also Child Health Plus.

• Enrollment in fee-‐for-‐service programs at Public Hospitals

• Help with Social Security ReYrement and Disability

• Assistance to apply for low-‐cost quality health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). More people now qualify for Medicaid or financial assistance.

Every member receives free $5,000 Term Life Insurance and $5,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance.

Taxi Workers Alliance Benefits Fund (TWABF)In 2012, NYTWA won a TLC vote for a Healthcare and Disability Fund -‐-‐ the first for taxi drivers in the U.S. In 2013, NYTWA won a compeJJve public bid to run the Fund, proposing 20-‐plus benefits.

Fleet owners lobbied in opposiJon and filed lawsuits. In 2014, a NYS Judge ruled that benefits were not necessary for drivers. The city and TLC are appealing. Support the Appeal!

The Fund will provide addiJonal, driver-‐oriented Healthcare Services, as well as Supplemental Disability Insurance of $300-‐$350 a week in addiJon to what you receive from NYS Disability.

Dental, Hearing, Vision, Back Health, Diabe7c Supplies, Lab Work, Diagnos7c Imaging, Prescrip7on Drugs, 24-‐hr Physician Hotline, 24-‐hr Mental Health Counseling, Alterna7ve Medicine and Fitness, Ergonomics Assessment, $10k life insurance & more.

Owner-‐Drivers and Maternity Leave are covered!

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The ConsorYum for Worker EducaYon (CWE) has partnered with NYTWA to bring free classes to members -‐-‐ and our families!

NYTWA DRIVERS & FAMILIESEDUCATION & TRAINING CENTER

ESL (English Classes) (7 sessions)Become beVer at speaking English! We will go over common words and sentences for everyday use, whether you're driving a taxi, shopping for groceries, or meeJng new people. For taxi drivers, family, and friends, this class well help you have beVer conversaJon every day.

Intro to Computers (7 sessions)Learn how to use a computer and the internet! This class is great for beginners, with informaJon that will be useful for both taxi drivers and non-‐drivers. We will cover basics of computer and internet use, including sewng up and using email, creaJng documents and spreadsheets, checking websites for DMV & TLC license issues, and the use of social media sites such as Facebook and TwiVer.

CiYzenship (4 sessions)Get ready for the applicaJon and interview to become a U.S. CiJzen. Discover what rights you have as a ciJzen, including the right to vote and social benefits.

Taxi Mechanics & BudgeYng (3 sessions)Veteran taxi drivers teach members basic vehicle mechanics and how to save money on repairs. Also, learn how to not get cheated by a mechanic.

*Each class has weekly sessions on Mondays. Students are encouraged to complete all sessions in a given course, but will be accepted on a rolling basis.

All courses are held at NYTWA HQ: 31-‐10 37th Avenue Suite 300 in Long Island City. N/Q train to 36th Ave or R to 36th St.

GED

If you don’t have a U.S. high school diploma, you can take a 4 part exam called the GED for a degree. Call the union at 718-‐706-‐9892 to sign up or for more informaJon.

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A Photo ID card is issued to all NYTWA members upon sign-‐up. Each card is good for 3 renewals before it needs to be replaced.

Carry your Union Pride wherever you go!

NYTWA MEMBERSHIP PHOTO ID & MORE

Classes happening on Mondays!

Scan this QR Code on your phone to go to the sign up form

We’ll soon offer a low-‐cost Defensive

Driving Course, which is also open to non-‐members!

Classes are FREE and open to ALL dues-‐paying Members and their Family Members!

MONDAYS

English (7 sessions)

11:00am - 2:00pm

Citizenship (4 sessions)

2:00pm-3:00pm

Computers (7 sessions)

2:00pm-4:00pm

Taxi Mechanics & Budgeting (3 sessions)

6:00pm-7:00pm

1. Go to bit.ly/1FGIh3P and fill out a quick online form selecJng the classes you want to aVend. -‐OR-‐2. Call NYTWA at 718-‐706-‐98923. Come to our office at 31-‐10 37th Ave Suite 300, LIC4. Find our outreach team at LAG, JFK, Penn StaJon

SIGN UP! Four Ways:

SuggesJons? Call, stop in, or e-‐mail: [email protected].

Call or go online now to sign up for next session.

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HISTORIC VICTORIES!

2011. Establishes first Lease Caps Enforcement Unit at TLC and AVorney General’s Office to prosecute violaJons, with $2 million recovered to date! Also, the first Enforcement Unit for Illegal Pick-‐ups.

2011. A Drivers’ Bill of Rights is mandated to be posted at every fleet and brokerage, holding them accountable for the first Jme under leasing.

1998. Largest city-‐wide taxi strike brings ManhaVan to a halt as thousands of drivers protest proposed TLC rules re: insurance costs, fines & other expenses. Solidifies NYTWA as a union in the eyes of taxi drivers, the public, and the media.

2001. Amer 9/11, helps over 2,000 drivers apply for public assistance from FEMA, totalling $15 million in aid.

Just a few highlights!

2004. Wins Fare Raise, creaJng Living Wage standard for NYC taxi drivers. Incomes up35-‐45% to date.

2004. TLC tries to remove the $1 surcharge during rush hour. We fight back and win.

2006. TLC adds a fuel surcharge to the meter amer NYTWA members mobilize.

2007. Second strike, against GPS Tracking, fights for drivers’ right to privacy and aVracts massive following.

2007. NYTWA becomes 1st non-‐tradiJonal union voted into any Central Labor Council in the U.S.

2009. Wins right to have a TLC Judge order garage/broker to pay back overcharges to drivers.

2011. NaJonal TWA becomes 57th union of the 13-‐million strong AFL-‐CIO and newest member of Int’l Transport Workers FederaJon.

2012. Wins 17% Fare Raise! Leases stay frozen. First-‐ever lease cap against broker overcharges. Vote to establish Healthcare and Disability Fund for drivers -‐-‐ first of its kind.

1999. Ends “double-‐YckeYng” by NYPD and TLC, and stops TLC from requiring drivers to post a bond and turn in license before a hearing.

2013. TWA's proposal for 20+ benefits wins bid to administer Healthcare and Disability Fund.

2014. TWA's complaint leads to AVorney General’s $1.4 million sePlement against SLS Jet for overcharges.

2014. The Taxi and Livery Driver ProtecYon Act is signed into law, requiring a sign in all yellow taxis, green cabs, and liveries warning against assaults on the driver.

2015. Licensing: Drivers no longer have to wait 3 yrs to reapply if revoked due to CDP or PVP. DDC taken on CDP hearing date will reduce points to stop suspension. Won back 80% of licenses previously denied during Fitness reviews.

Interested

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DMV License #: _________ -‐ _________ -‐ _

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NEW

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NYTWA

MEMBERSHIP

BENEFITS

CURRENT CAMPAIGNS

Protect Full-‐Time Work! Drivers everywhere are fighJng companies like Uber with Apps dispatching directly to private motorists with private cars and private insurance. To be the quickest and cheapest, they skimp on insurance coverage and background checks, cut fares at will, then price gouge at will, dodge taxes, and flood the streets with vehicles, making it impossible for professional drivers to keep their jobs and customers to keep their safety. Uber is recruiJng 10,000 new first-‐Jme drivers and lobbying Albany to let them dispatch to private cars. No drivers – yellow, green, Uber or livery – can earn a decent living. NYTWA is part of a naJonal campaign to protect drivers’ full-‐Jme jobs and win back lost income: Stop NYS’s TNC bill and no special limo or livery base license or direct dispatching by Apps; TLC enforcement and geo-‐fencing at airports; Lower weekly lease and credit card processing; Mandatory taxi stands outside hotels. For black cars: Minimum fare, guaranteed number of trips, no double-‐JckeJng (TLC & DMV), and a cap on number of cars. And, our own na7onal drivers’ App.

BENEFITS on the Job! In 2013, the TWA Benefits Fund was selected amer public compeJJon to administer first-‐Jme benefits for 30,000 drivers: $350/wk disability insurance (off-‐duty injury or illness), vision, dental, hearing, back health, life insurance & more! Whether through a court victory on the appeal (garages sued to stop the benefits) or a campaign at City Hall, we will bring benefits to this job!

Fair TLC Licensing Standards & PenalYes! One year renewals grace period, limit scope and period of review for Fitness interviews, require all Licensing decisions to be in wriJng; Progressive suspensions instead of revoca7ons, no double TLC fines on camera violaJons, no TLC monetary fines along with a suspension or a revocaJon, a maximum cap on all fines, warnings before a summons, a seVlement policy, and different weight for non-‐safety and off-‐duty traffic viola7ons.

Due Process Rights at OATH Taxi Courts! OATH adjudicates with less evidence and more bias. Demands: Place burden of proof on prosecu7on; no hearsay complaints by dispatchers, evidence if a driver is considered not credible, same moJon to vacate procedures as other OATH courts, and stays on suspensions and revoca7ons un7l final Appeal decision.

Protect Our Incomes! In 2020, 50% of cabs will be wheel-‐chair accessible. Demands: Use savings from MTA-‐TLC taxi card for Access-‐A-‐Ride trips to remove the MTA Tax and Vehicle Rental Tax ($4.77/shim) & stop the 30 cent surcharge.

Traffic Rights: ExempJon from turn restric7ons, visible signs, early noJficaJons, and access to bus and HOV lanes.

Real Infrastructure Change Vision Zero targets drivers and ignores congested streets and infrastructure failures. Demands: Be_er ligh7ng, more le` turn signals, speed displays, and wider and well-‐lighted crosswalks.

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) is a non-‐profit 18,000-‐member strong UNION of NYC taxicab drivers. Join Us!

NYTWA Membership Brochure 2015

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Transcript of NYTWA Membership Brochure 2015