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Union responds to calls to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC

Union responds to calls to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC

“NYCLASS sure is anti-union, aren't they, and they are willfully ignoring the fundamental truths of what unions are.Unions don't exist just to get "benefits" or "sick days" - they exist because the collective is stronger than the individual.So, let's go to basics about how the NYC carriage industry is organized, which will help explain how our union is organized and what its purpose is.In order for the carriages to go to work, there are 4 sets of licenses that have to be in order. There's the license for each of the three stables. There's the license for each of the horses that work pulling carriages. There's the license for the carriage itself (the 68 "medallions") and the license for the person driving the carriage ("horse-drawn cab driver" license). There are sections across multiple chapters in the NYC Administrative Code and the Rules of the City of New York that regulate all of these four licensed entities.The City determines the working conditions for the whole industry. The City dictates the hours we may work, the weather conditions under which we may work, where we may work, and what we may charge for our work. They set the parameters for the care of the horses, their housing conditions, the amount of work they may do, and their vet visits.In short, whether referring to a carriage driver (many of whom are carriage owners and are owner-operators), or to the carriage owner, it's the CITY that is MANAGEMENT. And therefore the union is our representative in negotiating with management. The Administrative Code and the Rules are our CONTRACT.TWU Local 100 represents carriage owners and drivers equally, as we all are subject to the same regulations set forth by the city.Carriage drivers are true independent contractors. Their license entitles them to drive any licensed carriage pulled by any licensed horse. The carriage drivers independently contract with a carriage owner to drive their horse and carriage for a shift or shifts. They set their own schedule and choose when they go on vacation, when they take days off, or when they stay home because they are sick. Some carriage drivers have steady shifts with a particular owner, while others prefer to operate as fill-in drivers, working various carriages when owner-operators or other carriage drivers go on vacation. Carriage drivers can choose which carriage owner to work for - and carriage drivers have routinely made their selections based on whether or not they like a particular horse or carriage or not, what the carriage owner expects for commission. No one can tell the carriage driver where to park or what to wear, or even which hours to work, so long as the carriage driver is following all the laws and restrictions set forth by the city (again, the CITY is MANAGEMENT). The carriage driver is the one who collects all the fares for the shift, as well as their tips, and then remits the owner's share along with the trip card. (I was entertained when NYCLASS expressed concern that carriage drivers might be "subject to wage theft" - when that's actually impossible since it's the independent contractor who collects the money and then pays the owner.)If people would focus on the second half of NYCLASS's Intro 573, they'd see how the bill itself operates on the assumption that the city is management, and the Administrative Code and the Rules are the contract! The bill would have the CITY own the proposed electric carriages and then *lease* them to the carriage medallion holders. There are all kinds of suggested regulations in the bill dictating how those electric carriages would be maintained/repaired and where and how they can be used. They would turn carriage owners into sharecroppers, leasing their business and right to work from the city. The carriage medallion owners are told in the legislation what kinds of wages they would have to pay their employees and what benefits they must offer. They would force owners to have employees and force independent contractors to become wage laborers. The bill even inserts the City Comptroller as oversight into the relationship between carriage owners and drivers - which indicates that it is, after all, the CITY who is management.Our HEART platform that we are proposing all pertains to changes we wish to see in both the Administrative Code and the Rules of the City of New York (and in the city's execution and enforcement of these laws and rules). We're either looking to amend our contract with the city or insist that the city uphold its end of its contract with us. Our licenses are proof of our agreement with this contract.”-Christina HansenChief Shop Steward, TWU Local 100 CentralPark Horse Carriages