Alright Let’s Try This Again . . .

Listen folks, if we are at all serious about this strike we have to take out our secondary target, the uninformed fellow driver. Even with all the flyers, the news stories, and word of mouth there is about 90% of our fellow drivers out there that know nothing about the planned strike next week. That makes these drivers our enemy. No, we do not mean they are truly our adversary. And no, we do not commit acts of violence against them. We have to inform them. We have to ask that they support the strike for the betterment of all drivers nation wide.  It is actually more important that we of San Francisco take action as we are the Uber home. It sends a far stronger message to the other cities drivers when we support a cause.

Back to elimination of our fellow drivers. The only way I see to get the word out to our fellow drivers is by bill-board or banner. We have inadequate time to do bill-boards, but we can have banners within 3 days. Banners cost money. I am not talking about a 2’ x 6’ paper banner. I am talking about 3’ x 25 or 30’ vinyl color banner, and more than one or two, plus the costs of City permits to hang them. I cannot afford this. So, please reach deep into your pockets and give up your beer or smokes money for a day to help me do this.

This strike can be very important to the futures of the American Worker and ourselves. At no time in this Country’s past has anyone depreciated so many jobs as we presently are. These Taxi, Limo, and other rideshare/ride-hail jobs that we have been reducing to poverty level part-time, no benefit jobs used to support families. You know, where men had a means of putting food on the table and keeping the PG&E paid, stuff like that. Well, after we help Uber disrupt all these jobs Uber disrupts us. And what do we have to show for it? What will the other transportation providers have to show for their years of labor and financial investment? The answer is, nada, zip, nothing for any of us . . . except Travis Kalanick and his investors. And who are his investors? His investors are all corporations that treat their workers very good. How many of Google’s Independent Contractors do you think are working for less than minimum wage? How is it that one little man, can manipulate everyone around him to allow him to put this entire Country in such a threat and nobody do anything about it?

We have a chance to put things in perspective for the future. We can stand together for regulation of the TNC’s to require that the TNC’s follow some of the same rules as the other transportation providers are required to. We have the chance to stop our unemployment rates and welfare costs from bankrupting our cities, counties, and states. We have a chance to stop this from threatening the entire US Economy. Oh, I see, you do not understand. People say my figures may be too high. So let’s use a much more conservative figure. What if 25,000 more people than today were suddenly unemployed? Now, what if those same people had no other income or investment to help them survive? What City or State is prepared to add even 100,000 new unemployed to their roles. Certainly adding 100,000 to our welfare roles will likely bankrupt most of our cities. Who had to pay for this? Oh you mean US, the TAX Payer! Uber’s plans do not include any form of compensation for anyone part of this disruption, but were Uber a rival Taxi Company they would be required to purchase their way into the market. They circumvent this requirement by claiming we are a Technology Company not a Transportation Provider. Guess what? WE ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A TAXI SERVICE WITH COMPUTERIZED DISPATCH. Sure we used to be more. We used to be a specialty transportation provider offering a unique and quality service. Now in order to pay our expenses we have to work twice as hard as the Taxi drivers to take home less than half of what they earn. I do not care if government does not yet get it but computerized dispatch has been used by Taxi’s for years now. The only difference is we have a bright new shiny application that instead of using voice to call for service, we talk through our cell phone computer to computer. It really is almost the same. You still have to use a phone, contact the transportation provider, and give your pick-up location. Sorry folks, we are just another taxi company at this stage, but this is Kalanick’s fault.

Back to our scheduled strike. I understand that close to most of you drivers are concerned about reprisals from the TNC’s should you participate. This is too important for any of us to worry about reprisals from anyone. To make this happen we need each and every one of you to support this strike and at least many of you too donate a few dollars to provide the money necessary to purchase informational banners to inform other drivers of the strike. The importance of this strike is to inform Uber and the other TNC’s that we do not like the way we are being treated and to inform the government that they need to take action to protect all of us from Uber. I know, it sounds a bit melodramatic, but is it really?

C’mon folks, it is your day to take control of the future before it bites you in the butt and leaves you wondering how you participated in such acts as Uber is pulling. Keep in mind, we are Ubers tool of destruction . . . Until such time as we are no longer necessary to achieve Uber’s goals. But do not kid yourself, every driver working with or for Uber is an instrument of disruption. We are all responsible for the financial loses, the lost jobs, and the harm caused to the American Worker by Uber. Are you really comfortable with that?

Donations may be made by going to https://rideassociation.wordpress.com and using the “donate” button. I promise that if you help me make this strike happen, I will find a way to get our voice to City Hall.