David Yassky resigned from his posts as a Commissioner and as Chair of New York:s Taxi and Limousine Commission in January. He announced his resignation on January second of this year but according to Dana Rubinstein of New York Capital News he did not resign until after she uncovered the fact that he still retained his Commission post on February eleventh.
This is merely odd but Yassky's tenure at the commission was more than odd, as you will see.
There is an aspiring leader of a would be taxi drivers' union who for years fought David Yassky and his boss Michael Bloomberg. tooth and nail. Her name is Bhairavi Desai.
Ms. Desai has been scrapping with the abusers and exploiters of taxi drivers for 16 years and was nowhere near her dream of a taxi drivers union. Michael Bloomberg was in a political battle in the state capital with the major taxi medallion owners over plans that while popular with the general public and press were harmful to the drivers Desai hoped to lead. She was in fact on the barricades on the same side as the medallion owners when someone made her an offer that she would not refuse.
In fairness to Ms .Desai part of the offer was a fare increase that would go entirely to the drivers which could offset the damage that the rest of the deal would impose on them in the form of increased competition. The drivers also would pay six cents per trip into a benefit fund. The main benefit the drivers were purchasing ( like it or not). would be counseling about "Obama Care."
This six cent per trip tax was to go to Ms. Desai and she would then provide the services. A hurdle to be overcome was that the Comptrol
ler of the City of New York had to review the contract and approve ( register) it. This approval was never granted. The six cents per trip tax continues to be collected and the more naive and less sophisticated drivers believe that they are purchasing medical insurance.. They are going to be rudely awakened by the IRS.
Yassky and Desai owe the truth to the drivers now. A press conference and appearances where drivers congregate would be helpful
That a contract submitted by Yassky would be unacceptable is no big surprise. Back in 2010 Yassky promoted a bill to make assaulting a taxi driver a misdemeanor carrying a minimum two year sentence, a legal impossibility in New York.
and of course this turned out to be a fiasco that would have embarassed a person with thinner skin than Yassk has.
