Cab drivers say they were fired for questioning policies
Taxi cab drivers say they've been fired for questioning a cab company's policies.
Drivers who work for the Taxi Services, Inc. received a memo saying their lease had been terminated and their insurance canceled.
Driver Jamal Ali said the terminations came after drivers complained about contracts with Medica and U-Care. He said the contracts pay drivers a flat rate for trips that should earn them much more.
"So, you picked up somebody in Minneapolis and you drive them to Burnsville. And your meter say $45 or $50. But the Airport Taxi give to drivers either $25 or $30," Ali said. "Every driver losing every single day $70, $80."
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In a written statement, Taxi Services President and CEO Steve Pint said the company asked drivers who wouldn't accept the contract terms to leave. He said drivers protested, and the company canceled their agreements. Those drivers make up a quarter of the company's fleet Pint said. Drivers say the number is around 200.
Pint added in a separate that the company did make "price concessions" of about 6 percent.
"The overall concession made to the account was much higher but the company decided to not pass through all of the decrease," Pint said in the email to MPR News.
Pint said the taxi company officials will meet with drivers individually to come to an understanding.