Teamsters Applaud Court Ruling Allowing Cab Drivers to Unionize

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Teamsters on Friday applauded a federal court's decision to allow taxi drivers for Friendly Cab Co., in Oakland, Calif., to unionize.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that the drivers are not independent contractors and must be classified as employees. The ruling means the approximately 100 drivers are covered by collective bargaining rules. The drivers have been trying since 2002 to unionize after the National Labor Relations Board ordered a union election. But Friendly Cab appealed the ruling.

This ruling comes a month after the California Supreme Court denied FedEx Corp's final appeal of lower court rulings determining that FedEx Ground's independent contractors are direct employees.

"Companies are now on notice that they cannot skirt the law by misclassifying their employees as independent contractors, a system that penalizes workers," said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. "From big companies like FedEx to smaller ones like Friendly Cab, the Teamsters are working nationwide to make sure this illegal business practice is erased."

Friendly Cab drivers have formed the East Bay Drivers Association (EBDA) and through the EBDA have sought out the Teamsters to represent them. Teamsters Local 70 in Oakland has worked tirelessly to have the workers properly classified as employees.

Mohammad Anwar Zadran, an 18-year Friendly Cab veteran, said he and his colleagues cheered the ruling and look forward to a better working environment.

"We now have the voice and the power with the company to receive better benefits and working conditions," Zadran said. "This has been a long time coming."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hard-working men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico