By ANNIE KARNI
 
In a move that labor leaders say will give taxi drivers more muscle to organize a strike and negotiate for health coverage, thousands of New York City cabbies have joined an umbrella union organization, a first in taxi history.

The Taxi Workers' Alliance, which represents about 7,250 drivers, is the first non-labor union to join the New York City Central Labor Council, whose 1 million members come from 400 local unions.

Because taxi drivers are considered independent contractors, the Taxi Workers' Alliance is not technically a labor union; it is classified as a "worker center." When the Central Labor Council voted on February 6 to include the alliance under its umbrella, it was the first time in America that a non-labor union was incorporated into the organization, whose parent group is the AFL-CIO.

"To the extent that the working conditions and paying benefits are improved, drivers and riders will have that much better an experience," the chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee, John Liu, said.

Their new status as union members does not bring taxi drivers collective bargaining power, according to the executive director of the Taxi Workers' Alliance, Bhairavi Desai, because taxi drivers retain their status as independent contractors. Ms. Desai said that joining the union gives drivers and their families access to classes in computers, English, writing, and public speaking, as well as more power to lobby the mayor's office and the City Council for better benefits for drivers. Individual drivers will not pay union dues, but the alliance will pay for its membership.

 http://www.nysun.com/article/50174