Dear fellow New York taxi drivers. I was wrong about the Obamacare deadline but right about the New York Taxi Workrrs Alliance

The deadline has been extended until March. 

It is still a fact that the TLC has no legal right to take six cents a ride tax from you in rewarding Bhairavi Desai for joining with Bloombrg. Why should you pay every day until you stop working for one counseling srssion that other people offer for free? Bhairavi Desai seems to think that because she is only taking just a few cents a ride from you that you will allow yourself to be robbed day in and day out. 

Obama care will be a good thing for taxi drivers because if you do not have medical insurance you will getting it at low cost. Many of us will now be able to get medical coverage for free

The law requires you to have medical insurance by January 1 or you will be charged extra tax by the IRS. This has no connection with the six cents a ride tax that the TLC is taking from you for eight weeks now and that six cents is not getting you Obamacare insurance.

That  six cents is being held for the Taxi Worker Alliance who once said that they would have their Obamacare Navigation (counseling and advice about  medical insurance). ready in the middle of November. They also promise that in the future they will be giving you disability insurance. Insurance comes through an insurance company. As of today we do not know the name of the insurance company they will be signing with on your behalf. If you have questions about the services you are getting or not getting for your six cents a trip call 212-627-5248 the Taxi Workers Alliance benefits office. Ask them to send you  a benefit package.

TO  GET ANSWERS ABOUT OBAMACARE (ALSO CALLED THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT) call 211. You do not have time to waste on people who are not ready to do what they have promised.  Please post

A letter followed by a visit to the New York City Comptroller 's office are on my agenda of fighting for taxi drivers' rights.

Hon. John C. Liu

Comptrollerr

Office of the Comptroller of the City of New York

One Centre Street

New York, New York 10007

Dear Comptroller Liu:

It has come to my attention that in the near future your office will be approached by the Taxi and Limousine Commission and the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), (or an entity under their control ) who will be seeking your approval of a contract  regarding disposition of funds that are being raised by a tax levied agaist drivers  of yellow medallion taxis. This money, which has been collected as a six cents a ride tax, is to be given over to  NYTWA in order that they manage a "Benefit Fund" that will purportedly be delivering redundant "Obamacare Navigation" services as well as other services whose scope and costs as well as providers of the services remain unknowns to those on whom this tax is levied..

The Taxi and Limousine Commission has no lawful right to impose a tax against medallion taxi drivers. There is no legislation, nothing in the City Charter or the State Constitution that authorizes these Commissioners to levy this tax and spend it as they see fit. They have no more of a right to take six cents from every taxi drivers income per trip than would the Department of Consumer Affairs have a right to tax every food server six cents or sixteen cents or sixty cents per meal served and hand it to NYTWA as a thank you from the departing mayor for political services rendered.

NYTWA subsists on grants and gifts from wealthy individuals. It is not a union in the sense that it does not collect much in dues, never has been elected by taxi drivers to represent them, has no labor contract with any employer. NYTWA has striven in the past to defend the interests of medallion taxi drivers but it has recently advanced Mayor Bloomberg's agenda which was revealed in a public temper tantrum to be hostile to the interests of taxi owners and drivers alike. NYTWA has been purchased with the taxi drivers' tip money to be a cat's paw for the outgoing mayor and this frankly anti taxi driver agenda. You surely understand that the outgoing mayor intends to continue trying to rule the people of New York through purchased Council members and other entities. Bloomberg has never been a friend of working people or of labor unions but now he has created a pseudo union to amplify and give a "Union Label" to his anti driver, anti poor, anti minority  transportation agenda. By not approving the contract you will provide the incoming mayor elect with political space to pursue policies he feels will benefit the people of our city.

I intend to come to your office in early December to file a Notice of Claim to recover the tax monies unlawfully taken from the hard working taxi drivers.

Yours truly,

Eugene Weixel

Randy Credico fought the good fight and ran a hard race. He isca friend of taxi drivers.

He had practically no money. He was ignored by the media. Randy Credico did not win and he did not finish last. He.is a fighter against racism and police abuse. He says Wall Street must be taxed. He would have been a great mayor for taxi drivers and for all the hard working and the out of work. I have a good feeling Randy is not done fighting for us.