Taxi drivers form union with local Teamsters
Jun 24, 2012, 9:34 AM | Updated: 10:44 am
Taxi drivers in Seattle and King County have voted to unionize.
Several hundred cab drivers met Saturday to begin the process of forming an association, which will work with Teamsters Local Union 117 in Tukwila.
There are approximately 2,000 taxi cab operators in the greater Seattle area.
Drivers cite excessive liability and insurance fees, as well as other obstacles to competitive operations that have led the drivers to form the association.
The new union will be called the Western Washington Taxi Cab Operators Association.
The members also plan to take advantage of the Teamsters’ political clout so that existing regulations governing taxi, sedan and shuttle services are enforced.
Teamsters Local 117 represents more than 16,000 workers in Washington state, including the Waste Management recycling truck drivers that threatened to strike earlier this month.
