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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_138283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10660_IMG_6286.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-138283\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10660_IMG_6286-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Trolley conductor Sam Eversley gazes up Powell Street. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cable car conductor Sam Eversley gazes up Powell Street. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>San Francisco transit riders were caught by surprise last week when Muni operators staged \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/06/01/san-francisco-muni-operators-may-stage-monday-sick-out\">a three-day sickout\u003c/a>. But the wildcat action was foreshadowed in the campaign four years ago against a voter-approved initiative that required collective bargaining but stripped some of the union's power to negotiate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At this point, the wall is so high in negotiations that we cannot get over it because it’s an unfair process,” said Eric Williams, president of Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, which represents 2,200 operators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But late last week, in a hopeful sign for the union, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency agreed to meet with a mediator instead of an arbitrator. Union leaders had accused the agency of forcing talks into arbitration, where the odds are stacked against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Prop. G, approved by nearly 65 percent of San Francisco voters in 2010, arbitration is triggered when negotiations reach an impasse. In arbitration, the measure puts the burden on operators to prove their labor proposals prioritize Muni service and serve the public interest. Otherwise, the rules favor the SFMTA’s proposals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is not negotiating. That’s dictating the system,” Williams said. “What kind of bargaining is this?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_138488\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10658_IMG_6302.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-138488\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10658_IMG_6302-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Passengers board the #38 bus on Geary Street, near Union Square. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers board a 38-Geary bus near Union Square. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Proposition G\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prop. G, sold as a way to “\u003ca href=\"http://vimeo.com/65763670\">Fix Muni Now,”\u003c/a> was pushed primarily by former Supervisor Sean Elsbernd and Supervisor Scott Wiener and endorsed by a number of groups, including the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). They \u003ca href=\"http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/10/14/proposition-g-and-the-fix-muni-syndrome/\">cautioned the measure alone wouldn’t fix Muni\u003c/a>, but get rid of inefficient work rules and rein in labor costs that the SFMTA said forced a service cut of 10 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, union leaders said operators were being blamed for everything wrong with the city’s beleaguered transit system — portrayed as lazy public employees with runaway overtime and high salaries. They had refused givebacks at a time when other city employees were making sacrifices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was because the base pay of operators was set under a 47-year-old wage formula that required operators’ salaries to be the second-highest in the nation. Proposition G did away with that formula and handed more power to the SFMTA to bargain and run operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether Prop. G has done what it was intended to do is up for debate. Some elected officials who opposed the measure, but supported other reforms, say it’s not working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This anti-worker language made Prop. G a more divisive measure and created a lot of the distrust we’re now seeing from the Transport Workers Union,” said Supervisor John Avalos during a debate last Tuesday on \u003ca href=\"http://sfappeal.com/2014/06/sf-supe-plans-resolution-to-urge-end-to-muni-driver-sickout/\">a resolution calling on Muni operators to go back to work\u003c/a>. “Prop. G was sold to the voters as 'fix Muni now,' but we all know it didn’t fix Muni.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener, who ran his campaign for supervisor in the same office as Prop. G, has made Muni reform one of his top priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen steady progress,” Wiener said, arguing Prop. G has done away with work rules that triggered what he described as “very excessive overtime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA \u003ca href=\"http://sfbay.ca/2014/02/12/sfmta-trims-overtime-costs-by-13-percent/\">has trimmed overtime\u003c/a>, according to the city controller, but Williams said operators have no choice but to work long hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Prop. G was based on getting bodies in here to get the buses out, to get the equipment out. They still have not achieved that,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_138491\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10671_IMG_6497.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-138491 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10671_IMG_6497-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Alex Duran has worked as a Muni driver for the past 15 years, and he's displeased with the proposed contract. "We haven't gotten a raise for five years, but they've been raising our premium," he said. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Duran has worked as a Muni driver for 15 years, and he's displeased with the proposed contract. \"We haven't gotten a raise for five years, but they've been raising our premium,\" he said. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Operator Shortage \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said an operator shortage has left the SFMTA without 200 full-time and 251 part-time operators. Many, he said, work 12-hour days. Overtime is paid as time-and-a-half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose admits “previous budgetary decisions” meant the agency “didn’t have the appropriate resources for training” new operators. But this year 15 additional trainers were hired and “a training surge” has begun. The first group of trainees, about 25 full-time operators, graduated Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Williams contends the training is antiquated, and it will take years to train all the operators needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these positions that are open equate to runs that are not going out,” Williams said. “The full-time operators that are on the platform right now are making up the difference.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prop. G, for the first time, allowed the SFMTA to hire part-time operators. But Williams said the agency has had trouble attracting new part-timers because of the pay and the high cost of living in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do you bring in a part-timer, and you’re asking him to pay 10 percent into his pension? And making $78 a day, plus gas and everything else. You’re trying to bring in new hires and the job is not worth it,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_138533\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10663_IMG_6184.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-138533 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10663_IMG_6184-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Cable car conductor Francis Givens, 51, of Brentwood, works on the Powell Street line. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cable car conductor Francis Givens, 51, of Brentwood, works on the Powell Street line. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Frontline Ambassadors \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/es/node/71526\">call for applications\u003c/a> on the SFMTA’s website hails Muni operators as the frontline ambassadors to the city. It’s hard to argue that being a Muni operator isn’t a tough job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Safety concerns, lack of restroom breaks, mechanical \u003ca href=\"http://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/06/05/munis-absymal-breakdown-rate-one-reason-sf-needs-a-vehicle-license-fee/\">breakdowns\u003c/a> and traffic congestion add up to a lot of stress for drivers, Williams said, not to mention the pressure of being on time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The worry that if I'm not on time I'm going to hear from the passengers, and I'm going to hear from my supervisor on where I'm at because I'm stuck in traffic because the agency and the city won't give us bus lanes,” said Williams, a former cable car operator who has worked a variety of jobs at the SFMTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We love our jobs,” he went on. “Most of us, even though we don't live in the city, we were raised in the city and we still have family in the city. We like what we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “it's unbelievable that we're here in San Francisco, the freest city in the nation, and we're being attacked like we are as workers, minority workers. That is unfair.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Contract \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A proposed two-year contract, initially agreed to by both sides through a mediator, was rejected by a vote of 1,148 to 47 three days before the sickout. It includes a salary hike and pension swap union leaders say would actually amount to a $1.10 an hour wage cut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An SFMTA spokesman \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/node/126546\">argued it’s an equal swap\u003c/a>: a 5.05 percent offset for a 7.5 pension contribution (which pretaxed would amount to 5.05 percent), combined with a 3 percent raise this year, and another raise based on the consumer price index in 2015 between 2.25 and 3.25 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni drivers make anywhere from $18 to $29 an hour, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/9163-Pay-Rates-2014.pdf\">according to the SFMTA\u003c/a>. The agency says the new contract, which would take effect July 1, would bump some pay to $32 an hour, and that Muni operators would go from being the seventh-highest-paid transit operators in the country to the second highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Williams said the union’s accountant crunched the numbers and the figures don't add up to an even swap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A date for new talks has not been set, but the SFMTA Board must approve a new contract by this Sunday, June 15. It has scheduled a special meeting Friday. If a contract is not approved by the deadline, an SFMTA spokesman said the current contract would be extended by two years, an unpleasant prospect for the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current contract, which froze wages, was imposed by an arbitrator in 2011 after it was overwhelmingly rejected by operators, who \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Muni-operators-taking-strike-authorization-vote-2374591.php\">took a strike vote\u003c/a>, even though the city charter forbids a walkout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said operators are just asking to be treated like other city employees, who get an equal swap for their pensions. He said he understands rider anger over the sickout last week, but wants a fair deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We feel for our riders. We feel for the public, we do, and we're not asking for sympathy,\" Williams said. “We just want to be treated fairly as human beings and hard-working individuals.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prop. G, sold as a way to “\u003ca href=\"http://vimeo.com/65763670\">Fix Muni Now,”\u003c/a> was pushed primarily by former Supervisor Sean Elsbernd and Supervisor Scott Wiener and endorsed by a number of groups, including the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). They \u003ca href=\"http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/10/14/proposition-g-and-the-fix-muni-syndrome/\">cautioned the measure alone wouldn’t fix Muni\u003c/a>, but get rid of inefficient work rules and rein in labor costs that the SFMTA said forced a service cut of 10 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, union leaders said operators were being blamed for everything wrong with the city’s beleaguered transit system — portrayed as lazy public employees with runaway overtime and high salaries. They had refused givebacks at a time when other city employees were making sacrifices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was because the base pay of operators was set under a 47-year-old wage formula that required operators’ salaries to be the second-highest in the nation. Proposition G did away with that formula and handed more power to the SFMTA to bargain and run operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether Prop. G has done what it was intended to do is up for debate. Some elected officials who opposed the measure, but supported other reforms, say it’s not working.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This anti-worker language made Prop. G a more divisive measure and created a lot of the distrust we’re now seeing from the Transport Workers Union,” said Supervisor John Avalos during a debate last Tuesday on \u003ca href=\"http://sfappeal.com/2014/06/sf-supe-plans-resolution-to-urge-end-to-muni-driver-sickout/\">a resolution calling on Muni operators to go back to work\u003c/a>. “Prop. G was sold to the voters as 'fix Muni now,' but we all know it didn’t fix Muni.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener, who ran his campaign for supervisor in the same office as Prop. G, has made Muni reform one of his top priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve seen steady progress,” Wiener said, arguing Prop. G has done away with work rules that triggered what he described as “very excessive overtime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA \u003ca href=\"http://sfbay.ca/2014/02/12/sfmta-trims-overtime-costs-by-13-percent/\">has trimmed overtime\u003c/a>, according to the city controller, but Williams said operators have no choice but to work long hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Prop. G was based on getting bodies in here to get the buses out, to get the equipment out. They still have not achieved that,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_138491\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10671_IMG_6497.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-138491 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10671_IMG_6497-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Alex Duran has worked as a Muni driver for the past 15 years, and he's displeased with the proposed contract. "We haven't gotten a raise for five years, but they've been raising our premium," he said. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Duran has worked as a Muni driver for 15 years, and he's displeased with the proposed contract. \"We haven't gotten a raise for five years, but they've been raising our premium,\" he said. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Operator Shortage \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said an operator shortage has left the SFMTA without 200 full-time and 251 part-time operators. Many, he said, work 12-hour days. Overtime is paid as time-and-a-half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose admits “previous budgetary decisions” meant the agency “didn’t have the appropriate resources for training” new operators. But this year 15 additional trainers were hired and “a training surge” has begun. The first group of trainees, about 25 full-time operators, graduated Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Williams contends the training is antiquated, and it will take years to train all the operators needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these positions that are open equate to runs that are not going out,” Williams said. “The full-time operators that are on the platform right now are making up the difference.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prop. G, for the first time, allowed the SFMTA to hire part-time operators. But Williams said the agency has had trouble attracting new part-timers because of the pay and the high cost of living in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do you bring in a part-timer, and you’re asking him to pay 10 percent into his pension? And making $78 a day, plus gas and everything else. You’re trying to bring in new hires and the job is not worth it,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_138533\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10663_IMG_6184.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-138533 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/RS10663_IMG_6184-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"Cable car conductor Francis Givens, 51, of Brentwood, works on the Powell Street line. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cable car conductor Francis Givens, 51, of Brentwood, works on the Powell Street line. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Frontline Ambassadors \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/es/node/71526\">call for applications\u003c/a> on the SFMTA’s website hails Muni operators as the frontline ambassadors to the city. It’s hard to argue that being a Muni operator isn’t a tough job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Safety concerns, lack of restroom breaks, mechanical \u003ca href=\"http://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/06/05/munis-absymal-breakdown-rate-one-reason-sf-needs-a-vehicle-license-fee/\">breakdowns\u003c/a> and traffic congestion add up to a lot of stress for drivers, Williams said, not to mention the pressure of being on time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The worry that if I'm not on time I'm going to hear from the passengers, and I'm going to hear from my supervisor on where I'm at because I'm stuck in traffic because the agency and the city won't give us bus lanes,” said Williams, a former cable car operator who has worked a variety of jobs at the SFMTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We love our jobs,” he went on. “Most of us, even though we don't live in the city, we were raised in the city and we still have family in the city. We like what we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “it's unbelievable that we're here in San Francisco, the freest city in the nation, and we're being attacked like we are as workers, minority workers. That is unfair.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Contract \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A proposed two-year contract, initially agreed to by both sides through a mediator, was rejected by a vote of 1,148 to 47 three days before the sickout. It includes a salary hike and pension swap union leaders say would actually amount to a $1.10 an hour wage cut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An SFMTA spokesman \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/node/126546\">argued it’s an equal swap\u003c/a>: a 5.05 percent offset for a 7.5 pension contribution (which pretaxed would amount to 5.05 percent), combined with a 3 percent raise this year, and another raise based on the consumer price index in 2015 between 2.25 and 3.25 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni drivers make anywhere from $18 to $29 an hour, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/9163-Pay-Rates-2014.pdf\">according to the SFMTA\u003c/a>. The agency says the new contract, which would take effect July 1, would bump some pay to $32 an hour, and that Muni operators would go from being the seventh-highest-paid transit operators in the country to the second highest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Williams said the union’s accountant crunched the numbers and the figures don't add up to an even swap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A date for new talks has not been set, but the SFMTA Board must approve a new contract by this Sunday, June 15. It has scheduled a special meeting Friday. If a contract is not approved by the deadline, an SFMTA spokesman said the current contract would be extended by two years, an unpleasant prospect for the union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The current contract, which froze wages, was imposed by an arbitrator in 2011 after it was overwhelmingly rejected by operators, who \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Muni-operators-taking-strike-authorization-vote-2374591.php\">took a strike vote\u003c/a>, even though the city charter forbids a walkout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said operators are just asking to be treated like other city employees, who get an equal swap for their pensions. He said he understands rider anger over the sickout last week, but wants a fair deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We feel for our riders. We feel for the public, we do, and we're not asking for sympathy,\" Williams said. “We just want to be treated fairly as human beings and hard-working individuals.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Muni's Sickout Ends and Even the Cable Cars Are Returning",
"title": "Muni's Sickout Ends and Even the Cable Cars Are Returning",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_137748\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/muniyard060214a-1-of-1.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-137748\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/muniyard060214a-1-of-1-640x429.jpg\" alt=\"Idle buses at Muni’s Potrero Division yard during Monday’s driver sickout. (Olivia Allen-Price)\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Idle buses at Muni’s Potrero Division yard during Monday’s driver sickout. (Olivia Allen-Price)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 9:30 a.m. Thursday:\u003c/strong> The Great Muni Sickout of 2014 has ended. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is telling riders that all vehicles, including cable cars, will be following their regular routes this morning. The return to transit normalcy comes after a three-day sickout by operators that appeared to be the result of an ongoing contract dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the SFMTA site: \"Muni service availability has steadily improved over the past few days, and is expected to provide approximately 90 percent of this morning's service based on pre-service data. Muni operated at 54 percent, 61 percent, and 80 percent of total service on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, this week respectively.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said that buses, trolley coaches, cable cars, the Muni Metro and the F-Market & Wharves historic streetcar line will all be back to business as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yesterday, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera \u003ca href=\"http://sfcityattorney.org/index.aspx?page=597\" target=\"_blank\">filed unfair labor practice charges\u003c/a> with the state's Public Employment Relations Board in an attempt to end the sickout. Although the union denies any involvement in the sickout, the charges allege that Transport Workers Union Local 250-A was flouting contract and City Charter provisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint maintains that the sickout is illegal under state law as well as the existing contract with Muni workers. Given the union's rejection of the SFMTA's offer, the complaint says, a neutral three-member arbitration board should resolve the impasse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/S-F-city-attorney-files-legal-charges-to-halt-5527895.php\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle reports\u003c/a> that an arbitrator is scheduled to meet with negotiators from labor and management on Saturday, but that a spokesman for the city attorney's office said the union's lawyer sent a letter saying the union wouldn't attend. The story also reported that transit workers voted 1,198-47 against the proposed contract, according to union officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 9 a.m. Wednesday: \u003c/strong>Here's Muni's \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/sfmta-updates-muni-service-plan-wednesday-morning\" target=\"_blank\">updated service plan for Wednesday morning\u003c/a>. Again, the agency says about 440 of its normal fleet of 600 buses, light-rail vehicles, streetcars and cable cars are operating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 6 a.m. Wednesday:\u003c/strong> The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is saying that things are looking better than the past couple of mornings. The agency is putting about 70 percent of its fleet on the street as some bus drivers and rail operators continue a job action fueled by anger over a city contract proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni's count of vehicles on the road this morning is about 440 of the normal 600 buses, light-rail vehicles, streetcars and cable cars. Significant \"gaps and delays\" are expected again throughout the system, though Muni is restoring service where it can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few details:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Service will return on all bus lines, including Muni's express (X) and limited (L) lines.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muni Metro light-rail service will operate two-car trains.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>F-Line streetcars will run between Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building but not on Market Street.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Cable cars continue to be shut down. Some limited shuttle bus service is available along the car routes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>BART will continue to honor Muni fares and transfers between the Daly City and Embarcadero stations.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday: \u003c/strong>SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin says things are looking up for tomorrow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“We are starting to see a little bit of turnaround in terms of attendance coming back,\" Reiskin said. \"I’m cautiously optimistic that tomorrow should be much better.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, San Francisco supervisors voted unanimously for a resolution calling on workers to return to their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We need to be very strong and clear as elected representatives of the people of San Francisco that it is not OK to debilitate the Muni system,\" said Supervisor Scott Wiener, who introduced the resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA is also telling the Muni operators' union that it will seek damages for the sickout by operators. Transport Workers Union Local 250-A President Eric Williams said that the union had nothing to do with the sickout but that \"it's understandable, given the frustration over how the men and women are being treated by the city and the agency.\" In a letter, Williams also called on workers to return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update 2:30 p.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> Already worrying about the evening commute? The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency just released new bus and light-rail schedules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beginning at 3 p.m., the J, L, M and N will now operate on short routes with limited bus shuttles to the terminals. Also, note that we've heard from several riders who were able to ride buses listed as not in operation today. Cable cars are still not in operation, and their lines are covered by limited bus shuttles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Muni Metro\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>J-Church — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and 30th Street. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 30th Street and Balboa Park Station. Customers traveling between Balboa Park Station and 30th are encouraged to use BART or Mission Street routes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>K-Ingleside — Will operate on its regular route\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>L-Taraval — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and 22nd Avenue. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 22nd Avenue and the Zoo.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>M-Ocean View — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and S.F. State. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 19th Avenue and Holloway and Balboa Park Station.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>N-Judah — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and 19th Avenue. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 19th Avenue and Ocean Beach. T-Third trains will provide service from Embarcadero to Caltrain at Fourth and King.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>T-Third— Will operate on its regular route\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Muni Bus Service\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>No limited-stop service on the 5L, 9L, 14L, 28L, 38L and 71L routes\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The following routes will not operate:\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1AX/BX, 31AX/BX, 38AX/BX\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>16X, 88\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3-Jackson – The majority of stops on this route are covered by the 2-Clement\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>8AX-Bayshore Express and 8BX will operate without changes.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 12:30 p.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> Muni officials announced that an arbitration hearing on the contract dispute is scheduled to take place Saturday. But Eric Williams, president of the local transport workers union, said he wants to resume contract talks before then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_137875\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/10432108_10101294004865738_5079752475817251047_n.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-137875 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/10432108_10101294004865738_5079752475817251047_n-300x300.jpg\" alt='Ian Sherr caught a nearly empty 1AX bus Tuesday morning despite the Muni \"sickout.\" (Courtesy Ian Sherr)' width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ian Sherr caught a nearly empty 1AX bus Tuesday morning despite the Muni sickout. (Courtesy Ian Sherr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"You know, we are ready and prepared to go back to the table with the agency,\" Williams said. \"We just want to assure the public that we're here to offer up the services that we're supposed to. We're here. We're just asking to be treated fairly.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union has played no role in the sickout, and was surprised when it happened. Williams apologized to residents of San Francisco, but blamed the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I apologize,\" he said. \"But actually it's on the city. For 30 years there was a system in place that helped negotiate or navigate these issues through negotiations. That's been taken away.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Ed Lee criticized the 300 or so drivers who have called in sick over the last two days, and called on them to return to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 9 a.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> It's Day Two of the Great Muni Sickout of 2014. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is reporting that bus and rail operators have again called in sick in large numbers, meaning that just a fraction of normal service is available for the Tuesday morning commute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni reported Tuesday that about 300 of the usual fleet of 600 vehicles rolled out this morning. Transit delays are reported on most lines in the city, and the agency says commuters should expect big crowds and delays of up to an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, which represents Muni operators staging a sickout, released a statement Tuesday morning on its contract negotiations with the city. The statement said in part:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>SFMTA managers had told workers throughout the bargaining process that any shift from the city’s pension contributions to a plan funded by individuals would be offset by wage increases and would be “cost neutral.” However, even with wage increases of more than 8.05 percent proposed by SFMTA, drivers would experience a cut in their take-home pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past three years, drivers received no wage increases and are currently paid less than their counterparts in Seattle, Santa Clara, and other comparable public transit systems. Rather than improving wages and benefits, under the transit agency’s proposal, the vast majority of drivers would be paid less in real wages over the life of the agreement than they make now. MUNI workers are the only public employees in the City of San Francisco being targeted for a reduction in earnings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a great city, but a very difficult place to operate a bus, streetcar or cable car,” said TWU 250-A President Eric Williams. “This also is a very expensive city and while SFMTA’s ridership and revenues are on rising, the agency seeks to cut wages and benefits and convert full-time positions to part time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TWU 250-A has offered to return to the bargaining table -- but that offer has been rejected. Rather than bargain in good faith, management hopes that an arbitrator will shift pension costs, reduce wages and allow the replacement of full-time experienced drivers with part-time drivers paid at rates far below the full-timers. The transit agency also seeks to establish a 5-year wage progression schedule that would create two classes of workers.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The agency says its light-rail lines — the J-Church, K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, M-Ocean View, N-Judah and T-Third — are all running. To maximize capacity, each train is operating with just two cars. The F-Line streetcars are operating only between the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf — no service is being offered up Market Street to the Castro. The city's cable car lines are shut down for a second straight day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday bus service details, per Muni:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 8AX Bayshore Express and 8BX will operate without changes. There will be no limited-stop service (affects the 5L, 9L, 14L, 28L, 38L). And the following routes will not operate: 1AX/BX, 31AX/BX, 38AX/BX, 16X, 88, 3-Jackson (the majority of stops on the 3 are covered by the 2-Clement).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 3:30 p.m. Monday:\u003c/strong> The SFMTA \u003ca href=\"#memo\">sent a memo to workers\u003c/a> today stating that the agency will not pay workers without a doctor's note or other verification. Chief of Staff Alicia John-Baptiste also reminded workers that they are forbidden to strike under their contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 2 p.m. Monday: \u003c/strong>The union that represents Muni operators has overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal made by SFMTA. The proposal would have given Muni drivers an 11.25 percent raise over two years and required that they contribute 7.5 percent to their pensions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"d134f0359725d385e10f4eedab35370b\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of Muni bus, light rail and cable car operations remain offline, and there are widespread delays across the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“I think I’ve been here 15 minutes,\" said Ernestine Jensen, a retired San Francisco resident waiting for an F-line historic streetcar at Market Street and Van Ness Avenue. After she learned that only two of 20 trains were running, she left. \"I’ll do my shopping another day,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 10:25 a.m. Monday:\u003c/strong> Muni is scrambling to patch together service as bus and rail operators follow through with a threatened sickout this morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Via Twitter (\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sfmta_muni\" target=\"_blank\">@sfmta_muni\u003c/a>), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said it's seeing \"major delays\" throughout the city. Agency spokesman Paul Rose says that 400 of the 600 buses, light-rail vehicles, streetcars and cable cars that would normally be on the streets have been idled because of driver absences. The sickout is in response to widespread anger over a city contract proposal (see original post below for details).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni urged riders to take alternate service Monday if possible and announced that BART will honor Muni passes and transfers between Daly City and downtown San Francisco stops today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Limited service is rolling, Muni says, but all express buses will operate as local runs. F-Line streetcar service has been hit by long delays and is being supplemented with shuttle bus service. No cable car service will operate until at least noon, the agency says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've called in as many operators as we could to help fill service,\" Rose told KQED's Ted Goldberg, \"and they account for the 200 vehicles we were able to put out this morning.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose said Muni is trying to make plans to deal with a second day of operator absences. He said the agency is contacting other transit providers in the region that might be able to supplement Muni's severely curtailed service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're hoping that today is the only day this will impact our riders,\" Rose said. \"We're certainly hoping for the best but planning for the worst.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_137767\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-137767 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/waiting-640x460.jpg\" alt=\"Riders faced long waits at Muni stops. (Isabel Angell/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"230\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Riders faced long waits at Muni stops. (Isabel Angell/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original post (Sunday night): \u003c/strong>A Muni spokesman said Sunday night that a higher-than-normal number of bus and light-rail operators have called in ill for Monday morning, increasing the chance that union members unhappy with a city contract proposal will stage a sickout on Monday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While it appears the majority of our transit operators will be on the job tomorrow, early attendance reports indicate that service could be impacted,” said San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman Paul Rose. “We will be working through the night and morning to balance service the best we can across the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose said Muni is urging riders to leave early in the morning and follow updates on Twitter — \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sfmta_muni\" target=\"_blank\">@sfmta_Muni\u003c/a> — and to sign up for email and text alerts on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/\" target=\"_blank\">SFMTA’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rumored sickout, \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/05/muni_drivers_voting_on_union_c.php\" target=\"_blank\">first reported Friday by SF Weekly\u003c/a>, came on the same day that Muni's 2,200 operators and mechanics began voting on a contract that Eric Williams, president of Transit Workers Local 250-A, \u003ca href=\"http://www.twusf.org/PresidentsCorner.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">said was full of “unreasonable takeaways in wages and benefits\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The principal dispute between Muni and the operators — who, like other municipal workers, are \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfdhr.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=15396\" target=\"_blank\">barred from striking\u003c/a> by the City Charter — revolves around two monetary issues: pay raises in the new two-year contract and a requirement for new pension contributions by union members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"http://www.twusf.org/Portals/21/PDFs/9163_CBA_Summary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">summary of the contract\u003c/a> posted by Local 250-A shows that operators hired before July 1, 2011, will get a 5.05 percent \"base wage increase\" starting next month, plus another 3 percent. In exchange, the contract requires operators to pay a 7.5 percent pension contribution that until now was paid by Muni. The second year of the contract includes a raise of between 2.25 and 3.25 percent, depending on inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local 250-A voted on the contract Friday, with \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/05/muni_drivers_voting_on_union_c.php\" target=\"_blank\">members predicting it would be voted down\u003c/a>. No results had been announced by late Sunday. If operators reject the contract, the dispute will be submitted to arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"memo\">\u003c/a>SFMTA Memo to Workers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View SFMTA Memo to 'Sick-out' Transit Operators on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/227718786/SFMTA-Memo-to-Sick-out-Transit-Operators?secret_password=Q3cnZHf3fhUj43FJXslf\">SFMTA Memo to 'Sick-out' Transit Operators\u003c/a> by \u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View KQED News's profile on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/KQED_News\">KQED News\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe id=\"doc_92153\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/227718786/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-QefEWhJkjFLrvMkLVMhG&show_recommendations=true\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\">\u003c/iframe>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>\u003cbr>\nKQED's Dan Brekke, Olivia Allen-Price, Lisa Pickoff-White, Bryan Goebel, Isabel Angell, Guy Marzorati and Ted Goldberg contributed to this post. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_137748\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/muniyard060214a-1-of-1.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-137748\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/muniyard060214a-1-of-1-640x429.jpg\" alt=\"Idle buses at Muni’s Potrero Division yard during Monday’s driver sickout. (Olivia Allen-Price)\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Idle buses at Muni’s Potrero Division yard during Monday’s driver sickout. (Olivia Allen-Price)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 9:30 a.m. Thursday:\u003c/strong> The Great Muni Sickout of 2014 has ended. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is telling riders that all vehicles, including cable cars, will be following their regular routes this morning. The return to transit normalcy comes after a three-day sickout by operators that appeared to be the result of an ongoing contract dispute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the SFMTA site: \"Muni service availability has steadily improved over the past few days, and is expected to provide approximately 90 percent of this morning's service based on pre-service data. Muni operated at 54 percent, 61 percent, and 80 percent of total service on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, this week respectively.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said that buses, trolley coaches, cable cars, the Muni Metro and the F-Market & Wharves historic streetcar line will all be back to business as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yesterday, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera \u003ca href=\"http://sfcityattorney.org/index.aspx?page=597\" target=\"_blank\">filed unfair labor practice charges\u003c/a> with the state's Public Employment Relations Board in an attempt to end the sickout. Although the union denies any involvement in the sickout, the charges allege that Transport Workers Union Local 250-A was flouting contract and City Charter provisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint maintains that the sickout is illegal under state law as well as the existing contract with Muni workers. Given the union's rejection of the SFMTA's offer, the complaint says, a neutral three-member arbitration board should resolve the impasse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/S-F-city-attorney-files-legal-charges-to-halt-5527895.php\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle reports\u003c/a> that an arbitrator is scheduled to meet with negotiators from labor and management on Saturday, but that a spokesman for the city attorney's office said the union's lawyer sent a letter saying the union wouldn't attend. The story also reported that transit workers voted 1,198-47 against the proposed contract, according to union officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 9 a.m. Wednesday: \u003c/strong>Here's Muni's \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/sfmta-updates-muni-service-plan-wednesday-morning\" target=\"_blank\">updated service plan for Wednesday morning\u003c/a>. Again, the agency says about 440 of its normal fleet of 600 buses, light-rail vehicles, streetcars and cable cars are operating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 6 a.m. Wednesday:\u003c/strong> The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is saying that things are looking better than the past couple of mornings. The agency is putting about 70 percent of its fleet on the street as some bus drivers and rail operators continue a job action fueled by anger over a city contract proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni's count of vehicles on the road this morning is about 440 of the normal 600 buses, light-rail vehicles, streetcars and cable cars. Significant \"gaps and delays\" are expected again throughout the system, though Muni is restoring service where it can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few details:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Service will return on all bus lines, including Muni's express (X) and limited (L) lines.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muni Metro light-rail service will operate two-car trains.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>F-Line streetcars will run between Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building but not on Market Street.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Cable cars continue to be shut down. Some limited shuttle bus service is available along the car routes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>BART will continue to honor Muni fares and transfers between the Daly City and Embarcadero stations.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday: \u003c/strong>SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin says things are looking up for tomorrow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“We are starting to see a little bit of turnaround in terms of attendance coming back,\" Reiskin said. \"I’m cautiously optimistic that tomorrow should be much better.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, San Francisco supervisors voted unanimously for a resolution calling on workers to return to their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We need to be very strong and clear as elected representatives of the people of San Francisco that it is not OK to debilitate the Muni system,\" said Supervisor Scott Wiener, who introduced the resolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA is also telling the Muni operators' union that it will seek damages for the sickout by operators. Transport Workers Union Local 250-A President Eric Williams said that the union had nothing to do with the sickout but that \"it's understandable, given the frustration over how the men and women are being treated by the city and the agency.\" In a letter, Williams also called on workers to return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update 2:30 p.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> Already worrying about the evening commute? The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency just released new bus and light-rail schedules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beginning at 3 p.m., the J, L, M and N will now operate on short routes with limited bus shuttles to the terminals. Also, note that we've heard from several riders who were able to ride buses listed as not in operation today. Cable cars are still not in operation, and their lines are covered by limited bus shuttles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Muni Metro\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>J-Church — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and 30th Street. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 30th Street and Balboa Park Station. Customers traveling between Balboa Park Station and 30th are encouraged to use BART or Mission Street routes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>K-Ingleside — Will operate on its regular route\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>L-Taraval — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and 22nd Avenue. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 22nd Avenue and the Zoo.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>M-Ocean View — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and S.F. State. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 19th Avenue and Holloway and Balboa Park Station.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>N-Judah — Will operate between Embarcadero Station and 19th Avenue. Limited bus shuttle service will be provided between 19th Avenue and Ocean Beach. T-Third trains will provide service from Embarcadero to Caltrain at Fourth and King.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>T-Third— Will operate on its regular route\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Muni Bus Service\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>No limited-stop service on the 5L, 9L, 14L, 28L, 38L and 71L routes\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The following routes will not operate:\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1AX/BX, 31AX/BX, 38AX/BX\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>16X, 88\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3-Jackson – The majority of stops on this route are covered by the 2-Clement\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>8AX-Bayshore Express and 8BX will operate without changes.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 12:30 p.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> Muni officials announced that an arbitration hearing on the contract dispute is scheduled to take place Saturday. But Eric Williams, president of the local transport workers union, said he wants to resume contract talks before then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_137875\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/10432108_10101294004865738_5079752475817251047_n.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-137875 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/10432108_10101294004865738_5079752475817251047_n-300x300.jpg\" alt='Ian Sherr caught a nearly empty 1AX bus Tuesday morning despite the Muni \"sickout.\" (Courtesy Ian Sherr)' width=\"300\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ian Sherr caught a nearly empty 1AX bus Tuesday morning despite the Muni sickout. (Courtesy Ian Sherr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"You know, we are ready and prepared to go back to the table with the agency,\" Williams said. \"We just want to assure the public that we're here to offer up the services that we're supposed to. We're here. We're just asking to be treated fairly.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union has played no role in the sickout, and was surprised when it happened. Williams apologized to residents of San Francisco, but blamed the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I apologize,\" he said. \"But actually it's on the city. For 30 years there was a system in place that helped negotiate or navigate these issues through negotiations. That's been taken away.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Ed Lee criticized the 300 or so drivers who have called in sick over the last two days, and called on them to return to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 9 a.m. Tuesday:\u003c/strong> It's Day Two of the Great Muni Sickout of 2014. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is reporting that bus and rail operators have again called in sick in large numbers, meaning that just a fraction of normal service is available for the Tuesday morning commute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni reported Tuesday that about 300 of the usual fleet of 600 vehicles rolled out this morning. Transit delays are reported on most lines in the city, and the agency says commuters should expect big crowds and delays of up to an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, which represents Muni operators staging a sickout, released a statement Tuesday morning on its contract negotiations with the city. The statement said in part:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>SFMTA managers had told workers throughout the bargaining process that any shift from the city’s pension contributions to a plan funded by individuals would be offset by wage increases and would be “cost neutral.” However, even with wage increases of more than 8.05 percent proposed by SFMTA, drivers would experience a cut in their take-home pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past three years, drivers received no wage increases and are currently paid less than their counterparts in Seattle, Santa Clara, and other comparable public transit systems. Rather than improving wages and benefits, under the transit agency’s proposal, the vast majority of drivers would be paid less in real wages over the life of the agreement than they make now. MUNI workers are the only public employees in the City of San Francisco being targeted for a reduction in earnings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a great city, but a very difficult place to operate a bus, streetcar or cable car,” said TWU 250-A President Eric Williams. “This also is a very expensive city and while SFMTA’s ridership and revenues are on rising, the agency seeks to cut wages and benefits and convert full-time positions to part time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TWU 250-A has offered to return to the bargaining table -- but that offer has been rejected. Rather than bargain in good faith, management hopes that an arbitrator will shift pension costs, reduce wages and allow the replacement of full-time experienced drivers with part-time drivers paid at rates far below the full-timers. The transit agency also seeks to establish a 5-year wage progression schedule that would create two classes of workers.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The agency says its light-rail lines — the J-Church, K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, M-Ocean View, N-Judah and T-Third — are all running. To maximize capacity, each train is operating with just two cars. The F-Line streetcars are operating only between the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf — no service is being offered up Market Street to the Castro. The city's cable car lines are shut down for a second straight day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday bus service details, per Muni:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 8AX Bayshore Express and 8BX will operate without changes. There will be no limited-stop service (affects the 5L, 9L, 14L, 28L, 38L). And the following routes will not operate: 1AX/BX, 31AX/BX, 38AX/BX, 16X, 88, 3-Jackson (the majority of stops on the 3 are covered by the 2-Clement).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 3:30 p.m. Monday:\u003c/strong> The SFMTA \u003ca href=\"#memo\">sent a memo to workers\u003c/a> today stating that the agency will not pay workers without a doctor's note or other verification. Chief of Staff Alicia John-Baptiste also reminded workers that they are forbidden to strike under their contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 2 p.m. Monday: \u003c/strong>The union that represents Muni operators has overwhelmingly rejected a contract proposal made by SFMTA. The proposal would have given Muni drivers an 11.25 percent raise over two years and required that they contribute 7.5 percent to their pensions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hundreds of Muni bus, light rail and cable car operations remain offline, and there are widespread delays across the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">“I think I’ve been here 15 minutes,\" said Ernestine Jensen, a retired San Francisco resident waiting for an F-line historic streetcar at Market Street and Van Ness Avenue. After she learned that only two of 20 trains were running, she left. \"I’ll do my shopping another day,\" she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 10:25 a.m. Monday:\u003c/strong> Muni is scrambling to patch together service as bus and rail operators follow through with a threatened sickout this morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Via Twitter (\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sfmta_muni\" target=\"_blank\">@sfmta_muni\u003c/a>), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said it's seeing \"major delays\" throughout the city. Agency spokesman Paul Rose says that 400 of the 600 buses, light-rail vehicles, streetcars and cable cars that would normally be on the streets have been idled because of driver absences. The sickout is in response to widespread anger over a city contract proposal (see original post below for details).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni urged riders to take alternate service Monday if possible and announced that BART will honor Muni passes and transfers between Daly City and downtown San Francisco stops today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Limited service is rolling, Muni says, but all express buses will operate as local runs. F-Line streetcar service has been hit by long delays and is being supplemented with shuttle bus service. No cable car service will operate until at least noon, the agency says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We've called in as many operators as we could to help fill service,\" Rose told KQED's Ted Goldberg, \"and they account for the 200 vehicles we were able to put out this morning.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose said Muni is trying to make plans to deal with a second day of operator absences. He said the agency is contacting other transit providers in the region that might be able to supplement Muni's severely curtailed service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're hoping that today is the only day this will impact our riders,\" Rose said. \"We're certainly hoping for the best but planning for the worst.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_137767\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-137767 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/06/waiting-640x460.jpg\" alt=\"Riders faced long waits at Muni stops. (Isabel Angell/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"230\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Riders faced long waits at Muni stops. (Isabel Angell/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original post (Sunday night): \u003c/strong>A Muni spokesman said Sunday night that a higher-than-normal number of bus and light-rail operators have called in ill for Monday morning, increasing the chance that union members unhappy with a city contract proposal will stage a sickout on Monday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While it appears the majority of our transit operators will be on the job tomorrow, early attendance reports indicate that service could be impacted,” said San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman Paul Rose. “We will be working through the night and morning to balance service the best we can across the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose said Muni is urging riders to leave early in the morning and follow updates on Twitter — \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sfmta_muni\" target=\"_blank\">@sfmta_Muni\u003c/a> — and to sign up for email and text alerts on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/\" target=\"_blank\">SFMTA’s website\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rumored sickout, \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/05/muni_drivers_voting_on_union_c.php\" target=\"_blank\">first reported Friday by SF Weekly\u003c/a>, came on the same day that Muni's 2,200 operators and mechanics began voting on a contract that Eric Williams, president of Transit Workers Local 250-A, \u003ca href=\"http://www.twusf.org/PresidentsCorner.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">said was full of “unreasonable takeaways in wages and benefits\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The principal dispute between Muni and the operators — who, like other municipal workers, are \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfdhr.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=15396\" target=\"_blank\">barred from striking\u003c/a> by the City Charter — revolves around two monetary issues: pay raises in the new two-year contract and a requirement for new pension contributions by union members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"http://www.twusf.org/Portals/21/PDFs/9163_CBA_Summary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">summary of the contract\u003c/a> posted by Local 250-A shows that operators hired before July 1, 2011, will get a 5.05 percent \"base wage increase\" starting next month, plus another 3 percent. In exchange, the contract requires operators to pay a 7.5 percent pension contribution that until now was paid by Muni. The second year of the contract includes a raise of between 2.25 and 3.25 percent, depending on inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Local 250-A voted on the contract Friday, with \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/05/muni_drivers_voting_on_union_c.php\" target=\"_blank\">members predicting it would be voted down\u003c/a>. No results had been announced by late Sunday. If operators reject the contract, the dispute will be submitted to arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"memo\">\u003c/a>SFMTA Memo to Workers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View SFMTA Memo to 'Sick-out' Transit Operators on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/227718786/SFMTA-Memo-to-Sick-out-Transit-Operators?secret_password=Q3cnZHf3fhUj43FJXslf\">SFMTA Memo to 'Sick-out' Transit Operators\u003c/a> by \u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View KQED News's profile on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/KQED_News\">KQED News\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe id=\"doc_92153\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/227718786/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-QefEWhJkjFLrvMkLVMhG&show_recommendations=true\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\">\u003c/iframe>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>\u003cbr>\nKQED's Dan Brekke, Olivia Allen-Price, Lisa Pickoff-White, Bryan Goebel, Isabel Angell, Guy Marzorati and Ted Goldberg contributed to this post. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Commuters in San Francisco are scrambling to find alternative transportation or enduring the sometimes hour-long wait for a bus as this morning's operator sickout \u003ca href=\"http://http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/06/01/san-francisco-muni-operators-may-stage-monday-sick-out\" target=\"_blank\">drags on into the evening\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two-thirds of San Francisco's Muni fleet, or about 400 vehicles, remain sidelined tonight, as bus and rail operators show their anger over the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's proposed labor contract. Muni has some 700,000 boardings per day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni is barred from striking, but Michael LeRoy, professor at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois College of Law at Urbana-Champaign, says sickouts effectively have the same effect as strikes. He spoke with KQED’s Mina Kim on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They function very much like a strike,” LeRoy said. “It is a withdrawal of labor by workers, and it’s meant to put pressure on the employers. In that sense it’s a de facto strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA will \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/06/01/san-francisco-muni-operators-may-stage-monday-sick-out#memo\" target=\"_blank\">deny pay to operators\u003c/a> who called in sick on Monday if they cannot prove they were ill. But LeRoy says management can take additional action against them if they can’t prove they were ill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the current agreement, which is expiring this month, there is a provision for management to count an absent-without-leave as a disciplinary event, and that would result in a two-day suspension,” LeRoy said. “A second violation within an eight-month period would have a 10-day suspension.”[contextly_sidebar id=\"aba6eaa1e096b29a0cd150c689a7c81c\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So if management wants to fight fire with fire, they have the tools at their disposal within the contract to do it,” LeRoy said. “The question is: Would they want to take it that far, because given the number of people who are allegedly engaged in the sickout – you could be looking at essentially putting a majority of your workforce on a fast track toward termination.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LeRoy said it appears this case will move to arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the parties don’t conclude an agreement in the near future, the contract will expire and then 'interest arbitration' is provided,” LeRoy said. “That term means that an arbitrator writes new terms of the contract. That arbitrator doesn’t write from whole cloth. The arbitrator is presented with an argument from the union, an argument from the employer and typically the arbitrator picks one offer over the other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni workers are not happy with a proposed contract that would give an 11.25 percent raise over two years, but requires them to contribute 7.5 percent into their pensions, which are paid by the SFMTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LeRoy said today’s walkout raises the same kind of issues that arose during the BART strikes and in other public sector labor disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“States don’t have money. Municipal governments don’t have money to fund pension benefits,” LeRoy said. “So from the workers’ perspective, the pay raise is essentially going in one pocket and out the other to fund their pension, and in their view they’re not getting a raise, they’re just simply being asked to absorb the cost of their retirement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the employer perspective, they can’t afford it. So these are going to being enduring kinds of issues, and there’s no real relief in sight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen to the full interview below:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/152531203\"]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Commuters in San Francisco are scrambling to find alternative transportation or enduring the sometimes hour-long wait for a bus as this morning's operator sickout \u003ca href=\"http://http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/06/01/san-francisco-muni-operators-may-stage-monday-sick-out\" target=\"_blank\">drags on into the evening\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two-thirds of San Francisco's Muni fleet, or about 400 vehicles, remain sidelined tonight, as bus and rail operators show their anger over the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's proposed labor contract. Muni has some 700,000 boardings per day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni is barred from striking, but Michael LeRoy, professor at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois College of Law at Urbana-Champaign, says sickouts effectively have the same effect as strikes. He spoke with KQED’s Mina Kim on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They function very much like a strike,” LeRoy said. “It is a withdrawal of labor by workers, and it’s meant to put pressure on the employers. In that sense it’s a de facto strike.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA will \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/06/01/san-francisco-muni-operators-may-stage-monday-sick-out#memo\" target=\"_blank\">deny pay to operators\u003c/a> who called in sick on Monday if they cannot prove they were ill. But LeRoy says management can take additional action against them if they can’t prove they were ill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the current agreement, which is expiring this month, there is a provision for management to count an absent-without-leave as a disciplinary event, and that would result in a two-day suspension,” LeRoy said. “A second violation within an eight-month period would have a 10-day suspension.”\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So if management wants to fight fire with fire, they have the tools at their disposal within the contract to do it,” LeRoy said. “The question is: Would they want to take it that far, because given the number of people who are allegedly engaged in the sickout – you could be looking at essentially putting a majority of your workforce on a fast track toward termination.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LeRoy said it appears this case will move to arbitration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the parties don’t conclude an agreement in the near future, the contract will expire and then 'interest arbitration' is provided,” LeRoy said. “That term means that an arbitrator writes new terms of the contract. That arbitrator doesn’t write from whole cloth. The arbitrator is presented with an argument from the union, an argument from the employer and typically the arbitrator picks one offer over the other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni workers are not happy with a proposed contract that would give an 11.25 percent raise over two years, but requires them to contribute 7.5 percent into their pensions, which are paid by the SFMTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LeRoy said today’s walkout raises the same kind of issues that arose during the BART strikes and in other public sector labor disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“States don’t have money. Municipal governments don’t have money to fund pension benefits,” LeRoy said. “So from the workers’ perspective, the pay raise is essentially going in one pocket and out the other to fund their pension, and in their view they’re not getting a raise, they’re just simply being asked to absorb the cost of their retirement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the employer perspective, they can’t afford it. So these are going to being enduring kinds of issues, and there’s no real relief in sight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen to the full interview below:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='undefined' height='undefined'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/152531203&visual=true&undefined'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/152531203'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "yet-another-protest-against-tech-buses-in-san-francisco",
"title": "Yet Another Protest Against Tech Buses as San Francisco Adopts Shuttle Plan",
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"headTitle": "Yet Another Protest Against Tech Buses as San Francisco Adopts Shuttle Plan | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120270\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/12/11293201603_070575a91a_o-e1386615496451.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-120270\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/12/11293201603_070575a91a_o-640x480.jpg\" alt=\"In a December protest, activists surround a Google bus at 24th and Valencia streets Monday in protest aimed at evictions and displacement in San Francisco's Mission District. (Steve Rhodes via Flickr)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In a December protest, activists surround a Google bus at 24th and Valencia streets Monday in protest aimed at evictions and displacement in San Francisco’s Mission District. (Steve Rhodes via Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 4:25 p.m.:\u003c/strong> The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board of directors has just approved \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/commuter-shuttles-policy-and-pilot-program\" target=\"_blank\">a pilot program\u003c/a> to begin regulating employee shuttles in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal was passed by a unanimous voice vote that came after two hours of sometimes angry public comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing took place after anti-displacement protesters held another in a series of protests against the buses, which are used by Google, Facebook, Apple and other tech firms to transport workers to the South Bay. In today’s action, marchers blocked buses reportedly headed for Google and Facebook at 8th and Market Streets for about 30 minutes during the morning rush hour. The activists, who are demanding the city take action to slow the pace of evictions and limit rent increases, then marched to the San Francisco Association of Realtors before holding a rally at City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA’s pilot program would cover shuttles for UCSF and other colleges in the city as well as bus services operated on behalf of large office buildings and the Silicon Valley technology companies. If approved, the SFMTA proposal would:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Require shuttle operators — both bus firms and companies that set up shuttles for workers — to get permits to operate in San Francisco.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Designate 200 stops for shuttle use, many of which are Muni bus stops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Impose rules to prevent shuttles from blocking Muni vehicles or other traffic.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Charge buses $1 for every stop they make. SFMTA planners say that will raise $1.5 million over the life of the 18-month pilot and defray the program ‘s costs.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA board heard about two hours of public comment on the proposal. On the anti-side, residents and activists said the $1 per stop price was too low, that the buses are out of control on the streets, that they pose a danger to pedestrians and cyclists, and that they’re helping fuel the displacement of tenants unable to pay rents driven upward by the influx of highly paid tech workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nothing’s going to change until people rise up and do something, and stopping these buses would be a step in the right direction,” one speaker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side, several tech company and bus service employees said they supported both the shuttles and the pilot program. They said the buses reduce car trips, cut pollution and provide economic benefits to the city both by fostering the current tech boom and by encouraging those who commute to Silicon Valley via bus to spend more in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A speaker who identified herself as Krista Jones, an employee of bus service Bauer’s Transportation, said activists were indulging in “misplaced hostility” by blaming the buses for the city’s housing and displacement issues. “Wake the hell up to what’s really going on,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Mina Kim talks with News Fix editor Dan Brekke about the details of the pilot program:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/130737142&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 2 p.m.:\u003c/strong> The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board meeting has started. On the agenda: \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/commuter-shuttles-policy-and-pilot-program\" target=\"_blank\">a pilot program under which shuttle operators would pay for using city-owned and -maintained stops\u003c/a>. (Before that item came up, the MTA board heard public comments calling on the agency to do something to respond to a rising number of pedestrians being struck and killed by cars in the city.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED News reporter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFNewsReporter\">Alex Emslie\u003c/a> is at the meeting:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SFMTA&src=hash\">#SFMTA\u003c/a> Mtng on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23techshuttle&src=hash\">#techshuttle\u003c/a> regulations getting underway … packed room. Just avoided getting kicked out. \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/Q0xscmFHUL\">pic.twitter.com/Q0xscmFHUL\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— Alex Emslie (@SFNewsReporter) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFNewsReporter/statuses/425740190708006912\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>At least 27 speakers waiting to sound off to \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SFMTA&src=hash\">#SFMTA\u003c/a> board abt \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23techshuttle&src=hash\">#techshuttle\u003c/a> regulation… next item after director’s report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— Alex Emslie (@SFNewsReporter) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFNewsReporter/statuses/425743732051169280\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Noon\u003c/strong>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bay City News\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rebecca Solnit, a local author and historian who has written extensively about the impact of tech workers moving into San Francisco, said today’s protest is about fighting for the “San Francisco dream.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the dream that you can be idealistic, that you can lead a really meaningful life … that you can live in a city that has room for everyone,” she told the crowd gathered at City Hall this morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the reason a lot of us were out there blockading this morning is that we’re looking at a city that could become homogeneous, that could become a very dense suburb … as it becomes a bedroom community for the Silicon Valley,” Solnit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update 10:30 a.m.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bay City News \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of several dozen protesters briefly blocked two tech buses at Market and Eighth streets in San Francisco this morning. As of 10 a.m., the buses had been allowed to leave and the protesters had marched up Market Street to the offices of the San Francisco Association of Realtors at Grove and Franklin streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is ground zero for the battle of renters in San Francisco,” a woman yelled through a bullhorn while gesturing at the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other protesters played musical instruments including drums, a saxophone, a trombone and a clarinet. The crowd chanted, “What do we want? Stop the evictions!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bernal Heights resident Amanda Ream, 38, said she is participating in today’s protest because she wants San Francisco to “maintain the diversity and culture that I love about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protester Barry Hermanson, 62, a homeowner in the Sunset District, said, “The eviction crisis is out of hand…The gentrification in this city is incredible.” Hermanson said he is running for Congress, in part because he says he is concerned about a lack of affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group protested outside the Realtors’ office for about 10 minutes before heading back toward Civic Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>***\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Picking up with our original post:] \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nReports via Twitter showed dozens of protesters stopped two buses at 8th and Market streets. It’s unknown right now which tech companies are connected to the vehicles:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>Protesters against the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/google\">@google\u003c/a> bus are at 8th and market. Lots of backed up traffic. Police just arrived \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23googlebus&src=hash\">#googlebus\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/tMHg6EMnTp\">pic.twitter.com/tMHg6EMnTp\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— Kyle Wong (@kwong47) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kwong47/statuses/425683423215120385\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>RT \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kurtisalexander\">@kurtisalexander\u003c/a>: Exchange between police and tech protesters in downtown S.F. getting testy. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GoogleBus&src=hash\">#GoogleBus\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/We5osJRUx1\">pic.twitter.com/We5osJRUx1\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— SFGate.com (@SFGate) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFGate/statuses/425682837258268673\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a press release from the anti-eviction/anti-displacement group that organized this morning’s protest:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Subject: Embargoed Press Release: Anti-Displacement Action Against the Relationship of Tech, Real Estate Speculation, and City Politics\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Embargoed Press Release (keep embargo until 9am PST on 1/21/14).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Press Contacts:\u003cbr>\nRebecca Gourevitch (650)248-1295\u003cbr>\nRoberto Hernandez (415)206-0577\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What: \u003c/strong>Anti-Displacement Action Against the Impacts of the Tech Boom, Real Estate Speculation and City Politics\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where:\u003c/strong> Beginning at UN Plaza, marching to three locations\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>When:\u003c/strong> 8:30am, Tuesday 1/21/14. We will conclude by 11am. Some of us will reconvene at City Hall at 1pm for the SFMTA Hearing on the Tech Bus Pilot Program\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday 1/21/14 at 8:30am, a group of activists, organizers, and community members will join together at UN Plaza to protest the augmenting levels of displacement shattering the heart of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three target locations will highlight what we see as the main causal relationship of displacement in San Francisco: real estate speculators and investors are capitalizing on the tech class that big tech corporations are inputting into the city. The city gives the tech industry major incentives to move in, be they tax breaks or practically free use of public bus stops and other infrastructure. Real estate speculators take advantage of this, abusing state laws such as the Ellis Act to displace longtime residents, disproportionately those who are elderly, disabled, and/or in other ways marginalized. This industry too has long had its hands in the pockets of politicians. The collusion between tech, real estate, and city/state politics is responsible for the unprecedented levels of displacement. Ellis Act evictions have gone up 170% over the last 12 months; no-fault evictions are up 83% over the last three years. Rents are up 20% along tech bus routes, and evictions have skyrocketed in SOMA directly correlating to Twitter settling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We will march to three locations and will have speakers at each one, including community leaders, writers, and tenants who are being displaced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We will reconvene at City Hall at 1pm for the SFMTA Board meeting on the $1/bus stop proposal. We maintain that $1 doesn’t stop displacement.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n",
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"title": "Yet Another Protest Against Tech Buses as San Francisco Adopts Shuttle Plan | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120270\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/12/11293201603_070575a91a_o-e1386615496451.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-120270\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/12/11293201603_070575a91a_o-640x480.jpg\" alt=\"In a December protest, activists surround a Google bus at 24th and Valencia streets Monday in protest aimed at evictions and displacement in San Francisco's Mission District. (Steve Rhodes via Flickr)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In a December protest, activists surround a Google bus at 24th and Valencia streets Monday in protest aimed at evictions and displacement in San Francisco’s Mission District. (Steve Rhodes via Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 4:25 p.m.:\u003c/strong> The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board of directors has just approved \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/commuter-shuttles-policy-and-pilot-program\" target=\"_blank\">a pilot program\u003c/a> to begin regulating employee shuttles in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal was passed by a unanimous voice vote that came after two hours of sometimes angry public comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing took place after anti-displacement protesters held another in a series of protests against the buses, which are used by Google, Facebook, Apple and other tech firms to transport workers to the South Bay. In today’s action, marchers blocked buses reportedly headed for Google and Facebook at 8th and Market Streets for about 30 minutes during the morning rush hour. The activists, who are demanding the city take action to slow the pace of evictions and limit rent increases, then marched to the San Francisco Association of Realtors before holding a rally at City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA’s pilot program would cover shuttles for UCSF and other colleges in the city as well as bus services operated on behalf of large office buildings and the Silicon Valley technology companies. If approved, the SFMTA proposal would:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Require shuttle operators — both bus firms and companies that set up shuttles for workers — to get permits to operate in San Francisco.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Designate 200 stops for shuttle use, many of which are Muni bus stops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Impose rules to prevent shuttles from blocking Muni vehicles or other traffic.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Charge buses $1 for every stop they make. SFMTA planners say that will raise $1.5 million over the life of the 18-month pilot and defray the program ‘s costs.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The SFMTA board heard about two hours of public comment on the proposal. On the anti-side, residents and activists said the $1 per stop price was too low, that the buses are out of control on the streets, that they pose a danger to pedestrians and cyclists, and that they’re helping fuel the displacement of tenants unable to pay rents driven upward by the influx of highly paid tech workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nothing’s going to change until people rise up and do something, and stopping these buses would be a step in the right direction,” one speaker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side, several tech company and bus service employees said they supported both the shuttles and the pilot program. They said the buses reduce car trips, cut pollution and provide economic benefits to the city both by fostering the current tech boom and by encouraging those who commute to Silicon Valley via bus to spend more in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A speaker who identified herself as Krista Jones, an employee of bus service Bauer’s Transportation, said activists were indulging in “misplaced hostility” by blaming the buses for the city’s housing and displacement issues. “Wake the hell up to what’s really going on,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Mina Kim talks with News Fix editor Dan Brekke about the details of the pilot program:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/130737142&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 2 p.m.:\u003c/strong> The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board meeting has started. On the agenda: \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/commuter-shuttles-policy-and-pilot-program\" target=\"_blank\">a pilot program under which shuttle operators would pay for using city-owned and -maintained stops\u003c/a>. (Before that item came up, the MTA board heard public comments calling on the agency to do something to respond to a rising number of pedestrians being struck and killed by cars in the city.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED News reporter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFNewsReporter\">Alex Emslie\u003c/a> is at the meeting:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SFMTA&src=hash\">#SFMTA\u003c/a> Mtng on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23techshuttle&src=hash\">#techshuttle\u003c/a> regulations getting underway … packed room. Just avoided getting kicked out. \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/Q0xscmFHUL\">pic.twitter.com/Q0xscmFHUL\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— Alex Emslie (@SFNewsReporter) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFNewsReporter/statuses/425740190708006912\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>At least 27 speakers waiting to sound off to \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SFMTA&src=hash\">#SFMTA\u003c/a> board abt \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23techshuttle&src=hash\">#techshuttle\u003c/a> regulation… next item after director’s report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— Alex Emslie (@SFNewsReporter) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFNewsReporter/statuses/425743732051169280\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Noon\u003c/strong>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bay City News\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rebecca Solnit, a local author and historian who has written extensively about the impact of tech workers moving into San Francisco, said today’s protest is about fighting for the “San Francisco dream.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s the dream that you can be idealistic, that you can lead a really meaningful life … that you can live in a city that has room for everyone,” she told the crowd gathered at City Hall this morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the reason a lot of us were out there blockading this morning is that we’re looking at a city that could become homogeneous, that could become a very dense suburb … as it becomes a bedroom community for the Silicon Valley,” Solnit said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update 10:30 a.m.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bay City News \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of several dozen protesters briefly blocked two tech buses at Market and Eighth streets in San Francisco this morning. As of 10 a.m., the buses had been allowed to leave and the protesters had marched up Market Street to the offices of the San Francisco Association of Realtors at Grove and Franklin streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is ground zero for the battle of renters in San Francisco,” a woman yelled through a bullhorn while gesturing at the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other protesters played musical instruments including drums, a saxophone, a trombone and a clarinet. The crowd chanted, “What do we want? Stop the evictions!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bernal Heights resident Amanda Ream, 38, said she is participating in today’s protest because she wants San Francisco to “maintain the diversity and culture that I love about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protester Barry Hermanson, 62, a homeowner in the Sunset District, said, “The eviction crisis is out of hand…The gentrification in this city is incredible.” Hermanson said he is running for Congress, in part because he says he is concerned about a lack of affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group protested outside the Realtors’ office for about 10 minutes before heading back toward Civic Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>***\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>[Picking up with our original post:] \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nReports via Twitter showed dozens of protesters stopped two buses at 8th and Market streets. It’s unknown right now which tech companies are connected to the vehicles:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>Protesters against the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/google\">@google\u003c/a> bus are at 8th and market. Lots of backed up traffic. Police just arrived \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23googlebus&src=hash\">#googlebus\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/tMHg6EMnTp\">pic.twitter.com/tMHg6EMnTp\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— Kyle Wong (@kwong47) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kwong47/statuses/425683423215120385\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" lang=\"en\">\u003cp>RT \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kurtisalexander\">@kurtisalexander\u003c/a>: Exchange between police and tech protesters in downtown S.F. getting testy. \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GoogleBus&src=hash\">#GoogleBus\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"http://t.co/We5osJRUx1\">pic.twitter.com/We5osJRUx1\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>— SFGate.com (@SFGate) \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SFGate/statuses/425682837258268673\">January 21, 2014\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a press release from the anti-eviction/anti-displacement group that organized this morning’s protest:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Subject: Embargoed Press Release: Anti-Displacement Action Against the Relationship of Tech, Real Estate Speculation, and City Politics\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Embargoed Press Release (keep embargo until 9am PST on 1/21/14).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Press Contacts:\u003cbr>\nRebecca Gourevitch (650)248-1295\u003cbr>\nRoberto Hernandez (415)206-0577\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What: \u003c/strong>Anti-Displacement Action Against the Impacts of the Tech Boom, Real Estate Speculation and City Politics\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where:\u003c/strong> Beginning at UN Plaza, marching to three locations\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>When:\u003c/strong> 8:30am, Tuesday 1/21/14. We will conclude by 11am. Some of us will reconvene at City Hall at 1pm for the SFMTA Hearing on the Tech Bus Pilot Program\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday 1/21/14 at 8:30am, a group of activists, organizers, and community members will join together at UN Plaza to protest the augmenting levels of displacement shattering the heart of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three target locations will highlight what we see as the main causal relationship of displacement in San Francisco: real estate speculators and investors are capitalizing on the tech class that big tech corporations are inputting into the city. The city gives the tech industry major incentives to move in, be they tax breaks or practically free use of public bus stops and other infrastructure. Real estate speculators take advantage of this, abusing state laws such as the Ellis Act to displace longtime residents, disproportionately those who are elderly, disabled, and/or in other ways marginalized. This industry too has long had its hands in the pockets of politicians. The collusion between tech, real estate, and city/state politics is responsible for the unprecedented levels of displacement. Ellis Act evictions have gone up 170% over the last 12 months; no-fault evictions are up 83% over the last three years. Rents are up 20% along tech bus routes, and evictions have skyrocketed in SOMA directly correlating to Twitter settling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We will march to three locations and will have speakers at each one, including community leaders, writers, and tenants who are being displaced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We will reconvene at City Hall at 1pm for the SFMTA Board meeting on the $1/bus stop proposal. We maintain that $1 doesn’t stop displacement.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Tip or Bribe? Taxi Drivers Say Illegal Payments to Dispatchers Are Routine",
"title": "Tip or Bribe? Taxi Drivers Say Illegal Payments to Dispatchers Are Routine",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>rad Newsham drove a cab in San Francisco for nearly three decades and says he loved nearly everything about the job from the first day he got behind the wheel: the people, the city's beauty, the independence, the sense of experiencing something new every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bradnewsham.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Newsham\u003c/a> quit the business this year because he was down to earning a net income of five bucks an hour. Newsham's experience isn't unique — others in San Francisco's taxicab industry say they know drivers who are only netting $5 to $10 an hour. A big part of the tough economics for drivers has to do with ride-service companies like Sidecar, Uber and Lyft siphoning off business from the traditional cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright noborder\">\u003cimg src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2013/12/18/tip.jpg\" alt=\"Money\">\n\u003ch3>When drivers pay dispatchers, is it a tip? Or a bribe? \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/12/13/the-fine-line-between-a-taxi-drivers-tip-and-a-bribe/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more.\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>But part of the money problem for the great majority of taxi drivers, those who rent their vehicles, is the way the business is structured. They start out in the hole every day, needing to make $100 or more just to pay the \"gate,\" or rental fee, for a 10-hour shift. They pay gas on top of that, which could easily come to $20 or $30 a shift or more. You can do the math yourself: To clear San Francisco's minimum wage of $10.55 an hour, they've got to bring in something north of $200, and probably significantly more than that, during their 10 hours on the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers get no benefits, and may be held responsible for their gate fees when they're too sick to drive. Sometimes they must pay insurance deductibles and they face fines from city taxi regulators when they violate rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you wonder how they survive, well, lots of them are just scraping by. Richard Hybels, owner of San Francisco's Metro Cab, says, \"Cab drivers can’t even get their teeth fixed. They’re poor people. It’s not an easy way to make a living by any stretch of the imagination.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the financial odds against drivers aren't long enough already, they face another daily cost that industry veterans like Newsham alternatively call \"the tip\" or \"the bribe.\" That’s the unofficial, and illegal, five to ten bucks or more that many drivers say they pay cab company dispatchers and gas attendants every shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whoever bribes the dispatcher the most tends to get the best shifts,\" says Newsham. “I’ve been in situations at companies where if you don’t tip, the dispatcher says, 'Nice to see you ... I don’t have any cabs right now ... why don’t you sit on the bench for awhile until I get one?' I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out. It’s just a fact of life in the cab world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime San Francisco \u003ca href=\"http://phantomcabdriverphites.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">cab driver Ed Healy\u003c/a> says the practice is standard throughout the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignleft\">\n\u003ch3>More in KQED's series\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This is the third part in our series on the risks and benefits to those who sign up with networked ride services like Lyft, Sidecar and UberX, versus those who work for the traditional taxicab industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\">\u003cstrong>Part One\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> describes the growing tensions between ride services and taxi companies.\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\">Part Two\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> examines the insurance risks facing drivers for the ride services.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"I once had a dispatcher come out there and I gave him $3 and he threw it back in my face and said, ‘That’s not a tip,'\" says Healy. \"I stopped tipping them completely, and I regularly got cars without any brakes or (that) broke down in various ways. I had one where a huge pipe dropped out of the cab and onto the ground. I had so many breakdowns, and I wondered why I had to wait three hours for somebody to come and tow. So I would say that pretty much enforced tipping is the rule.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, who drives for Yellow Cab, breaks down his tipping routine: $1 to the gas guy, $5 to the dispatcher in charge of issuing cabs when he goes out and $1 more when he returns to file his paperwork. That's somewhat lower than a lot of drivers, he says. \"Many drivers say $5 going out and $5 coming in to dispatchers and cashiers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, a driver since 1996 who wrote the popular \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/NIGHT-CABBIE-A-lesson-in-Chinese-relations-2805327.php\" target=\"_blank\">Night Cabbie\u003c/a> column in the old San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, lays out basically the same scenario in terms of pressure to make these payments:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you don't want to piss off anybody that can cause you problems, you have to pay it,\" he says. \"The system that’s pervasive is tips and payola before you get your taxi.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawrence says radio dispatchers will also sometimes demand money for sending lucrative airport calls a driver's way. He says at one company he used to work for, the radio dispatcher had a black book. \"He came up to me ... and said, 'Emil, I looked at my book, you owe me for two airports.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever you call it, this kind of payment, voluntary or involuntary, is against the law in San Francisco, and each violation carries a $633 fine for firms that allow it. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that when you talk to San Francisco taxi companies, virtually all of them say that they don't allow tipping (six of the biggest companies — Yellow, Luxor, DeSoto, Metro, Royal and Town told me tipping is prohibited in their shops; two other companies, Arrow Checker and NationalVeterans, didn't return my calls).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Gillespie, general manager at Yellow Cab, said any reports of tipping at the company aren't true. \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Has it ever happened? \"Not to my knowledge,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>—Brad Newsham, cab driver\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Charles Rathbone, assistant manager at Luxor, told me, \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" He says the company has signs up saying tipping isn't allowed. \"Nobody has to tip to get a better shift or cab. The cashiers and the dispatchers know we’d come down on them like a ton of bricks. If you know of somebody who says there is (a tipping requirement) please tell them to come in and see me and I promise no retaliation for complaints. Absolutely.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What about voluntary tipping, which is also prohibited?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's the kind of thing that is almost impossible to stop\" he says. \"How do you prevent somebody from passing somebody else a dollar? It’s a very difficult thing to prevent from happening. I’m not going to say categorically that there is no tipping, but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/125668303&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tipping is an Expensive Reality\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Hara has little doubt that these payments are a reality in San Francisco cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He's an economist whose firm, Hara Associates, compiled \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/Draft%20SF%20DriverSurvey%2037%20Web%20version04042013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a report\u003c/a> last year on the city's taxi industry for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, or SFMTA. The firm's survey of 621 San Francisco cab drivers found that 61 percent said they always pay daily tips to other company employees. More than half of that group, 55 percent, said they pay those tips because they have to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the companies for which more than 30 drivers were surveyed, the reported tips ranged from an average of $4.47 for a non-Friday or non-Saturday night shift to $8.95 for a Friday or Saturday night shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"640\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?containerId=googft-gviz-canvas&q=select+col0%2C+col1%2C+col2%2C+col3+from+10EWOm6XOitK40qidzUUyuF6ng84o_bUsO5jQnZg+order+by+col2+desc+limit+10&viz=GVIZ&t=COLUMN&uiversion=2&gco_forceIFrame=true&gco_hasLabelsColumn=true&gco_vAxes=%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Respondents%22%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%5D&gco_useFirstColumnAsDomain=true&gco_isStacked=true&gco_booleanRole=certainty&gco_hAxis=%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindowMode%22%3Anull%7D&gco_legend=right&gco_title=How+often+do+you+pay+tips+to+dispatchers%2C+gas+attendants+or+other+taxi+companies%3F&gco_fontName=Arial&att=true&width=640&height=300\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tipping can be expensive, the report added, with 21 percent of drivers reporting they gave daily tips of between $10 and $20 and another 8 percent saying the gave more than $20 per shift. The highest tips came from those working lucrative weekend night shifts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone who drives a cab and tips dispatchers and gas attendants see that as a problem. One longtime driver who asked to remain anonymous recalls a variation on the usual practice of tipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We would have to go into a lottery, put our names in a hat, and they’d pull out these numbers, and your number would determine your chances [of getting a cab],\" he says. \"Your chances would be better if you decided to give money to the dispatcher. If you tipped, your chances are much greater to get out.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this driver says he thinks that kind of tipping is OK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think most people realize they should tip at least 10 to 15 percent if they like the service,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Jim Gillespie, Yellow Cab general manager\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Barry Korengold, the president of the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, says there are worse things happening in the industry right now than pressure to give dispatcher and gas attendants a tip. \"It’s not one of my big issues,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Korengold and one other driver told me that because drivers live in part on tips, it would be hypocritical not to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, for one, says he currently tips because he wants to, but that's only because he owns a cab medallion (which is essentially a license to drive a cab in the city) and has greater leverage. He also said he doesn't blame all cab company employees for taking tips, as they make very little money. \"They have no benefits whatsoever, so this is the way they get their income up.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Law and How It's Enforced\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I asked Christiane Hayashi, director of taxis and accessible services for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, whether drivers tipping taxi company employees was legal, she read from the \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Transportation Code, Section 1105, sub-section A10,\u003c/a> in effect since 2011.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“No Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder may accept or solicit gifts and/or gratuities or anything of value from any Driver, other than Gate Fees, Lease Fees, payments for goods actually received, or other payments authorized by this Article. A Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder shall issue a receipt for any payment received from a Driver.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The ordinance covers voluntary payments, too. That means all tipping is illegal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That absolute ban notwithstanding, Hayashi says she's aware tipping is happening and thinks the practice varies widely from company to company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, she adds, \"The salary structure set up by the companies relies on tipping — it is my understanding that many taxi company employees receive San Francisco's minimum wage and are required to rely on tips to make an adequate salary. ... So it is a deeply ingrained institutional issue that has proven difficult to root out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In some companies, drivers tip because they genuinely have a relationship with the dispatcher and it’s no big deal,\" Hayashi notes. \"In other companies, it’s definitely more of a culture where you’ve got to do this or else. And the driver who doesn’t tip might find himself having consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120383\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/12/12/San+Francisco-taxi-bribes-tips/rs7183_taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120383\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-120383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/RS7183_Taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf.jpg\" alt=\"Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But to do something about those \"consequences,\" Hayashi says, a driver would have to file a formal report with the SFMTA. To date, she says, no one has ever been cited for violating Section 1105, sub-section A10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The drivers may complain to us, but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration and go to an administrative hearing,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Veteran driver Brad Newsham says that kind of reasoning is akin to expecting victims of the system to enforce the law. \"You’re going to blame the cab driver who makes a paltry wage for not taking down the system that has been winked at by every regulator that’s ever been,\" he asks, \"and who has thrown up their hands and says, 'There’s nothing we can do'?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other drivers say blowing the whistle would be risky. “A driver would be afraid because they’d get fired,\" says Ed Healey, who drives for DeSoto Cab. \"Nobody could survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, a Yellow Cab driver, agrees. “I wouldn’t want to go through that process,\" he says. \"I basically would be going on the record with something that does not look very good for the people who I depend upon to issue me a cab every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>Does Tipping Happen? What the Taxi Companies Say\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">a San Francisco ordinance\u003c/a>, the taxi industry practice of requiring or allowing drivers to tip dispatchers or other employees is illegal. We asked major San Francisco cab companies whether tipping takes place in their shops. Here's what they told us:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://yellowcabsf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Yellow Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Jim Gillespie, general manager: \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.luxorcab.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Luxor Cabs\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Charles Rathbone, assistant manager: \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" What about voluntary tipping? \"It's the kind of thing that it's almost impossible to stop. ... but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.desotosf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DeSoto Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Hansu Kim, owner: Says compulsory tipping is “almost nonexistent now,” though he acknowledges voluntary tipping continues. \"We have a lot of drivers who don’t tip, so I have to make sure there’s no consequence whether you tip or not. But how do I stop a guy who says, ‘Hey thanks for giving me the orders, here’s five bucks’?\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/metro-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Metro Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Richard Hybels, owner: \"I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/royal-taxi\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Taxi\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Christopher Sweis, CEO: He says the company's preset schedule for drivers makes tipping unnecessary in terms of being assigned a cab. As for voluntary tipping, he says: \"It's a practice that we can try our best to enforce and ask our dispatchers not to take tips or ask our drivers not to tip the dispatchers. We can't control every single driver. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://sftowntaxi.com/\" target=\"_blank\">SF Town Taxi\u003c/a>:\u003c/strong> Jacob Mayzel, manager: \"It doesn't happen with Town Taxi.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/vi/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/arrow-checker-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Arrow Checker\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://sfnationalcab.sftaxischool.com/\">\u003cstrong>National Veterans Cab\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Luxor driver Jeremiah Cushing says filing a formal complaint would be like asking, \"Who will step forward so [they] can be shot first? Why don’t I just emboss a scarlet T on my chest? I would just be a total outcast.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bucking the System\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing's got another solution to the tipping problem, though: Just refuse to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most people do five dollars in, five dollars out,\" he says, citing what a company cashier told him, i.e., tipping $5 both at the beginning and end of their shifts. \"I started doing the math on it. ... At the end of the year, it was a lot of money in my pocket going to the unknown ... I said, 'Screw this, I'm not paying any of these guys. ... Other drivers have told me, 'You’re going to need these cashiers, they’re going to provide you a car.' I said, 'No — I do not need them, they need me.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing said he hasn't been tipping anyone but the gas guys for more than a year. \"If you ask me why I tip the gas guys, I can't give you a logical answer,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked him if there had been any consequences to his one-man rebellion. He said there had been some minor incidents, including one in which he was assigned a spare cab, typically the vehicle in the worst condition on the lot. He refused to drive it and went home, he said, but there were no other repercussions. \"They have such a shortage of drivers now, I don’t get messed with.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray of Hope for Drivers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>Metro Cab and Green Cab are two taxi outfits drivers routinely mention as prohibiting tipping. When I asked Metro owner Richard Hybels what's behind his policy, he said:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most of the people who work for me are supporting families, or supporting families in another country. It’s a tough business as it is. I make enough money in the normal parts of the business; I don’t need to squeeze any more out of them. ... I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former \"Night Cabbie\" columnist Emil Lawrence says many gas-and-gate cab drivers are on the economic margins and that he knows drivers who are living in \u003ca href=\"http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8\" target=\"_blank\">Section 8 housing\u003c/a> and receiving food stamps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They pay the cab company nonstop, they pay everybody tips nonstop,\" Lawrence says. \"They don't even make minimum wage on some nights, and if they don't pay, they don't have gas, they don't have a job the next day. ... What they make after paying the SFMTA and cab companies, you couldn't make a decent living in downtown Baghdad today.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've been in that situation,\" he says. \"It's like quicksand.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the balance of power between cab drivers and cab companies may be starting to tilt in the drivers' favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA consultant Dan Hara says a downturn in the cab business brought about by the rise of ride-service companies has at least temporarily reduced the pressure to tip, because cab companies are having problems filling shifts, a reality confirmed by others in the industry. (Though I recently asked three different drivers during cab rides if they currently tipped taxi company employees, and they all said they did.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many cab drivers are irate about Sidecar, Lyft and Uber \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">cutting into their business\u003c/a>, many others are quitting the cab business to drive with what regulators call \"transportation network companies (TNCs)\" — the very ride-service companies that compete with their cabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Before TNCs, some drivers tipped extensively to get out faster in nicer cars,\" says John Han. \"Now, I'm guessing some of those drivers have gone to TNCs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, one of my recent cab drivers cited the requirement to tip as a major reason he was quitting to go work for Uber. (\"If you get an airport call, the guys ask you for money after and if you don't give you won't get another airport call,\" he said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'The drivers may complain to us but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration...'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Christiane Hayashi, Director of Taxis at SFMTA\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>I kept asking the drivers if the Lyfts and Sidecars of the world could actually end up \u003cem>helping\u003c/em> them, as they potentially give drivers more leverage in dealing with the cab companies. John Han, for instance, says Yellow recently lowered its Saturday night gate fee for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some scoffed at the notion that anything good could result from the competition or that they would ever switch to a TNC, citing the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">insurance risk\u003c/a>, among other reasons. But not everyone felt that way. Brad Newsham said if he were giving advice to a young would-be driver today, he'd tell them to skip traditional taxis and go to work for a ride-service company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence told me there might be something for the average driver to gain from going to work for a ride-service firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I know drivers right now who work for cab companies at the same time they work for Uber,\" he says. \"Radio calls are down probably 70 percent now. They’re down on Friday even more. You’re talking about 10-15 minutes sometimes with no call at all. It’s all on the apps. If you’re a cab driver with a taxi, at the same time you have an Uber setup, that may be the new industry. But you can (also) do that same business in your own car at your own hours without paying the taxi company one dime.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View SF Taxi Driver Survey on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/192372483/SF-Taxi-Driver-Survey\">SF Taxi Driver Survey\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe id=\"doc_39345\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/192372483/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED's Lisa Pickoff-White, Bryan Goebel and Katrina Schwartz contributed reporting to this article.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"headline": "Tip or Bribe? Taxi Drivers Say Illegal Payments to Dispatchers Are Routine",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>rad Newsham drove a cab in San Francisco for nearly three decades and says he loved nearly everything about the job from the first day he got behind the wheel: the people, the city's beauty, the independence, the sense of experiencing something new every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bradnewsham.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Newsham\u003c/a> quit the business this year because he was down to earning a net income of five bucks an hour. Newsham's experience isn't unique — others in San Francisco's taxicab industry say they know drivers who are only netting $5 to $10 an hour. A big part of the tough economics for drivers has to do with ride-service companies like Sidecar, Uber and Lyft siphoning off business from the traditional cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright noborder\">\u003cimg src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2013/12/18/tip.jpg\" alt=\"Money\">\n\u003ch3>When drivers pay dispatchers, is it a tip? Or a bribe? \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/12/13/the-fine-line-between-a-taxi-drivers-tip-and-a-bribe/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more.\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>But part of the money problem for the great majority of taxi drivers, those who rent their vehicles, is the way the business is structured. They start out in the hole every day, needing to make $100 or more just to pay the \"gate,\" or rental fee, for a 10-hour shift. They pay gas on top of that, which could easily come to $20 or $30 a shift or more. You can do the math yourself: To clear San Francisco's minimum wage of $10.55 an hour, they've got to bring in something north of $200, and probably significantly more than that, during their 10 hours on the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers get no benefits, and may be held responsible for their gate fees when they're too sick to drive. Sometimes they must pay insurance deductibles and they face fines from city taxi regulators when they violate rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you wonder how they survive, well, lots of them are just scraping by. Richard Hybels, owner of San Francisco's Metro Cab, says, \"Cab drivers can’t even get their teeth fixed. They’re poor people. It’s not an easy way to make a living by any stretch of the imagination.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the financial odds against drivers aren't long enough already, they face another daily cost that industry veterans like Newsham alternatively call \"the tip\" or \"the bribe.\" That’s the unofficial, and illegal, five to ten bucks or more that many drivers say they pay cab company dispatchers and gas attendants every shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whoever bribes the dispatcher the most tends to get the best shifts,\" says Newsham. “I’ve been in situations at companies where if you don’t tip, the dispatcher says, 'Nice to see you ... I don’t have any cabs right now ... why don’t you sit on the bench for awhile until I get one?' I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out. It’s just a fact of life in the cab world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime San Francisco \u003ca href=\"http://phantomcabdriverphites.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">cab driver Ed Healy\u003c/a> says the practice is standard throughout the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignleft\">\n\u003ch3>More in KQED's series\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This is the third part in our series on the risks and benefits to those who sign up with networked ride services like Lyft, Sidecar and UberX, versus those who work for the traditional taxicab industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\">\u003cstrong>Part One\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> describes the growing tensions between ride services and taxi companies.\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\">Part Two\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> examines the insurance risks facing drivers for the ride services.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"I once had a dispatcher come out there and I gave him $3 and he threw it back in my face and said, ‘That’s not a tip,'\" says Healy. \"I stopped tipping them completely, and I regularly got cars without any brakes or (that) broke down in various ways. I had one where a huge pipe dropped out of the cab and onto the ground. I had so many breakdowns, and I wondered why I had to wait three hours for somebody to come and tow. So I would say that pretty much enforced tipping is the rule.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, who drives for Yellow Cab, breaks down his tipping routine: $1 to the gas guy, $5 to the dispatcher in charge of issuing cabs when he goes out and $1 more when he returns to file his paperwork. That's somewhat lower than a lot of drivers, he says. \"Many drivers say $5 going out and $5 coming in to dispatchers and cashiers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, a driver since 1996 who wrote the popular \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/NIGHT-CABBIE-A-lesson-in-Chinese-relations-2805327.php\" target=\"_blank\">Night Cabbie\u003c/a> column in the old San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, lays out basically the same scenario in terms of pressure to make these payments:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you don't want to piss off anybody that can cause you problems, you have to pay it,\" he says. \"The system that’s pervasive is tips and payola before you get your taxi.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawrence says radio dispatchers will also sometimes demand money for sending lucrative airport calls a driver's way. He says at one company he used to work for, the radio dispatcher had a black book. \"He came up to me ... and said, 'Emil, I looked at my book, you owe me for two airports.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever you call it, this kind of payment, voluntary or involuntary, is against the law in San Francisco, and each violation carries a $633 fine for firms that allow it. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that when you talk to San Francisco taxi companies, virtually all of them say that they don't allow tipping (six of the biggest companies — Yellow, Luxor, DeSoto, Metro, Royal and Town told me tipping is prohibited in their shops; two other companies, Arrow Checker and NationalVeterans, didn't return my calls).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Gillespie, general manager at Yellow Cab, said any reports of tipping at the company aren't true. \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Has it ever happened? \"Not to my knowledge,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>—Brad Newsham, cab driver\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Charles Rathbone, assistant manager at Luxor, told me, \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" He says the company has signs up saying tipping isn't allowed. \"Nobody has to tip to get a better shift or cab. The cashiers and the dispatchers know we’d come down on them like a ton of bricks. If you know of somebody who says there is (a tipping requirement) please tell them to come in and see me and I promise no retaliation for complaints. Absolutely.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What about voluntary tipping, which is also prohibited?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's the kind of thing that is almost impossible to stop\" he says. \"How do you prevent somebody from passing somebody else a dollar? It’s a very difficult thing to prevent from happening. I’m not going to say categorically that there is no tipping, but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/125668303&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tipping is an Expensive Reality\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Hara has little doubt that these payments are a reality in San Francisco cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He's an economist whose firm, Hara Associates, compiled \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/Draft%20SF%20DriverSurvey%2037%20Web%20version04042013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a report\u003c/a> last year on the city's taxi industry for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, or SFMTA. The firm's survey of 621 San Francisco cab drivers found that 61 percent said they always pay daily tips to other company employees. More than half of that group, 55 percent, said they pay those tips because they have to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the companies for which more than 30 drivers were surveyed, the reported tips ranged from an average of $4.47 for a non-Friday or non-Saturday night shift to $8.95 for a Friday or Saturday night shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"640\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?containerId=googft-gviz-canvas&q=select+col0%2C+col1%2C+col2%2C+col3+from+10EWOm6XOitK40qidzUUyuF6ng84o_bUsO5jQnZg+order+by+col2+desc+limit+10&viz=GVIZ&t=COLUMN&uiversion=2&gco_forceIFrame=true&gco_hasLabelsColumn=true&gco_vAxes=%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Respondents%22%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%5D&gco_useFirstColumnAsDomain=true&gco_isStacked=true&gco_booleanRole=certainty&gco_hAxis=%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindowMode%22%3Anull%7D&gco_legend=right&gco_title=How+often+do+you+pay+tips+to+dispatchers%2C+gas+attendants+or+other+taxi+companies%3F&gco_fontName=Arial&att=true&width=640&height=300\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tipping can be expensive, the report added, with 21 percent of drivers reporting they gave daily tips of between $10 and $20 and another 8 percent saying the gave more than $20 per shift. The highest tips came from those working lucrative weekend night shifts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone who drives a cab and tips dispatchers and gas attendants see that as a problem. One longtime driver who asked to remain anonymous recalls a variation on the usual practice of tipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We would have to go into a lottery, put our names in a hat, and they’d pull out these numbers, and your number would determine your chances [of getting a cab],\" he says. \"Your chances would be better if you decided to give money to the dispatcher. If you tipped, your chances are much greater to get out.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this driver says he thinks that kind of tipping is OK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think most people realize they should tip at least 10 to 15 percent if they like the service,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Jim Gillespie, Yellow Cab general manager\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Barry Korengold, the president of the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, says there are worse things happening in the industry right now than pressure to give dispatcher and gas attendants a tip. \"It’s not one of my big issues,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Korengold and one other driver told me that because drivers live in part on tips, it would be hypocritical not to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, for one, says he currently tips because he wants to, but that's only because he owns a cab medallion (which is essentially a license to drive a cab in the city) and has greater leverage. He also said he doesn't blame all cab company employees for taking tips, as they make very little money. \"They have no benefits whatsoever, so this is the way they get their income up.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Law and How It's Enforced\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I asked Christiane Hayashi, director of taxis and accessible services for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, whether drivers tipping taxi company employees was legal, she read from the \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Transportation Code, Section 1105, sub-section A10,\u003c/a> in effect since 2011.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“No Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder may accept or solicit gifts and/or gratuities or anything of value from any Driver, other than Gate Fees, Lease Fees, payments for goods actually received, or other payments authorized by this Article. A Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder shall issue a receipt for any payment received from a Driver.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The ordinance covers voluntary payments, too. That means all tipping is illegal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That absolute ban notwithstanding, Hayashi says she's aware tipping is happening and thinks the practice varies widely from company to company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, she adds, \"The salary structure set up by the companies relies on tipping — it is my understanding that many taxi company employees receive San Francisco's minimum wage and are required to rely on tips to make an adequate salary. ... So it is a deeply ingrained institutional issue that has proven difficult to root out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In some companies, drivers tip because they genuinely have a relationship with the dispatcher and it’s no big deal,\" Hayashi notes. \"In other companies, it’s definitely more of a culture where you’ve got to do this or else. And the driver who doesn’t tip might find himself having consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120383\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/12/12/San+Francisco-taxi-bribes-tips/rs7183_taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120383\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-120383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/RS7183_Taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf.jpg\" alt=\"Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But to do something about those \"consequences,\" Hayashi says, a driver would have to file a formal report with the SFMTA. To date, she says, no one has ever been cited for violating Section 1105, sub-section A10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The drivers may complain to us, but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration and go to an administrative hearing,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Veteran driver Brad Newsham says that kind of reasoning is akin to expecting victims of the system to enforce the law. \"You’re going to blame the cab driver who makes a paltry wage for not taking down the system that has been winked at by every regulator that’s ever been,\" he asks, \"and who has thrown up their hands and says, 'There’s nothing we can do'?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other drivers say blowing the whistle would be risky. “A driver would be afraid because they’d get fired,\" says Ed Healey, who drives for DeSoto Cab. \"Nobody could survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, a Yellow Cab driver, agrees. “I wouldn’t want to go through that process,\" he says. \"I basically would be going on the record with something that does not look very good for the people who I depend upon to issue me a cab every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>Does Tipping Happen? What the Taxi Companies Say\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">a San Francisco ordinance\u003c/a>, the taxi industry practice of requiring or allowing drivers to tip dispatchers or other employees is illegal. We asked major San Francisco cab companies whether tipping takes place in their shops. Here's what they told us:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://yellowcabsf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Yellow Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Jim Gillespie, general manager: \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.luxorcab.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Luxor Cabs\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Charles Rathbone, assistant manager: \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" What about voluntary tipping? \"It's the kind of thing that it's almost impossible to stop. ... but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.desotosf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DeSoto Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Hansu Kim, owner: Says compulsory tipping is “almost nonexistent now,” though he acknowledges voluntary tipping continues. \"We have a lot of drivers who don’t tip, so I have to make sure there’s no consequence whether you tip or not. But how do I stop a guy who says, ‘Hey thanks for giving me the orders, here’s five bucks’?\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/metro-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Metro Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Richard Hybels, owner: \"I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/royal-taxi\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Taxi\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Christopher Sweis, CEO: He says the company's preset schedule for drivers makes tipping unnecessary in terms of being assigned a cab. As for voluntary tipping, he says: \"It's a practice that we can try our best to enforce and ask our dispatchers not to take tips or ask our drivers not to tip the dispatchers. We can't control every single driver. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://sftowntaxi.com/\" target=\"_blank\">SF Town Taxi\u003c/a>:\u003c/strong> Jacob Mayzel, manager: \"It doesn't happen with Town Taxi.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/vi/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/arrow-checker-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Arrow Checker\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://sfnationalcab.sftaxischool.com/\">\u003cstrong>National Veterans Cab\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Luxor driver Jeremiah Cushing says filing a formal complaint would be like asking, \"Who will step forward so [they] can be shot first? Why don’t I just emboss a scarlet T on my chest? I would just be a total outcast.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bucking the System\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing's got another solution to the tipping problem, though: Just refuse to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most people do five dollars in, five dollars out,\" he says, citing what a company cashier told him, i.e., tipping $5 both at the beginning and end of their shifts. \"I started doing the math on it. ... At the end of the year, it was a lot of money in my pocket going to the unknown ... I said, 'Screw this, I'm not paying any of these guys. ... Other drivers have told me, 'You’re going to need these cashiers, they’re going to provide you a car.' I said, 'No — I do not need them, they need me.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing said he hasn't been tipping anyone but the gas guys for more than a year. \"If you ask me why I tip the gas guys, I can't give you a logical answer,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked him if there had been any consequences to his one-man rebellion. He said there had been some minor incidents, including one in which he was assigned a spare cab, typically the vehicle in the worst condition on the lot. He refused to drive it and went home, he said, but there were no other repercussions. \"They have such a shortage of drivers now, I don’t get messed with.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray of Hope for Drivers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>Metro Cab and Green Cab are two taxi outfits drivers routinely mention as prohibiting tipping. When I asked Metro owner Richard Hybels what's behind his policy, he said:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most of the people who work for me are supporting families, or supporting families in another country. It’s a tough business as it is. I make enough money in the normal parts of the business; I don’t need to squeeze any more out of them. ... I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former \"Night Cabbie\" columnist Emil Lawrence says many gas-and-gate cab drivers are on the economic margins and that he knows drivers who are living in \u003ca href=\"http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8\" target=\"_blank\">Section 8 housing\u003c/a> and receiving food stamps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They pay the cab company nonstop, they pay everybody tips nonstop,\" Lawrence says. \"They don't even make minimum wage on some nights, and if they don't pay, they don't have gas, they don't have a job the next day. ... What they make after paying the SFMTA and cab companies, you couldn't make a decent living in downtown Baghdad today.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've been in that situation,\" he says. \"It's like quicksand.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the balance of power between cab drivers and cab companies may be starting to tilt in the drivers' favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA consultant Dan Hara says a downturn in the cab business brought about by the rise of ride-service companies has at least temporarily reduced the pressure to tip, because cab companies are having problems filling shifts, a reality confirmed by others in the industry. (Though I recently asked three different drivers during cab rides if they currently tipped taxi company employees, and they all said they did.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many cab drivers are irate about Sidecar, Lyft and Uber \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">cutting into their business\u003c/a>, many others are quitting the cab business to drive with what regulators call \"transportation network companies (TNCs)\" — the very ride-service companies that compete with their cabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Before TNCs, some drivers tipped extensively to get out faster in nicer cars,\" says John Han. \"Now, I'm guessing some of those drivers have gone to TNCs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, one of my recent cab drivers cited the requirement to tip as a major reason he was quitting to go work for Uber. (\"If you get an airport call, the guys ask you for money after and if you don't give you won't get another airport call,\" he said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'The drivers may complain to us but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration...'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Christiane Hayashi, Director of Taxis at SFMTA\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>I kept asking the drivers if the Lyfts and Sidecars of the world could actually end up \u003cem>helping\u003c/em> them, as they potentially give drivers more leverage in dealing with the cab companies. John Han, for instance, says Yellow recently lowered its Saturday night gate fee for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some scoffed at the notion that anything good could result from the competition or that they would ever switch to a TNC, citing the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">insurance risk\u003c/a>, among other reasons. But not everyone felt that way. Brad Newsham said if he were giving advice to a young would-be driver today, he'd tell them to skip traditional taxis and go to work for a ride-service company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence told me there might be something for the average driver to gain from going to work for a ride-service firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I know drivers right now who work for cab companies at the same time they work for Uber,\" he says. \"Radio calls are down probably 70 percent now. They’re down on Friday even more. You’re talking about 10-15 minutes sometimes with no call at all. It’s all on the apps. If you’re a cab driver with a taxi, at the same time you have an Uber setup, that may be the new industry. But you can (also) do that same business in your own car at your own hours without paying the taxi company one dime.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View SF Taxi Driver Survey on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/192372483/SF-Taxi-Driver-Survey\">SF Taxi Driver Survey\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe id=\"doc_39345\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/192372483/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED's Lisa Pickoff-White, Bryan Goebel and Katrina Schwartz contributed reporting to this article.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "The Fine Line Between a Tip and a Bribe for Those Who Drive S.F. Taxis ",
"title": "The Fine Line Between a Tip and a Bribe for Those Who Drive S.F. Taxis ",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120900\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/12/13/draft-the-fine-line-between-a-taxi-drivers-tip-and-a-bribe/rs7181_taxis_22oct2013_0065_web-hpf/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120900\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-120900\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/12/RS7181_Taxis_22oct2013_0065_web-hpf.jpg\" alt=\"(Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Sara Bloomberg/KQED) \u003ccite>(Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A taxi driver gives five or 10 bucks to a dispatcher at the beginning of a shift — to get the right cab at the right time, to get lucrative calls during the day, or just because that's the way the business works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is that a tip? Or a bribe?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.scu.edu/ethics/about/people/directors/business/balassone/\" target=\"_blank\">Jim Balassone\u003c/a> directs the business ethics programs at Santa Clara University's\u003ca href=\"http://www.scu.edu/ethics/\" target=\"_blank\"> Markkula Center for Applied Ethics\u003c/a>. I asked him whether the money changing hands is properly classified as a \"bribe\" as opposed to a \"tip.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says one person's tip can be another person's bribe. But given the way the system works — with many drivers reporting they feel they must pay gratuities to other cab company employees and that there's a quid pro quo involved, Balassone's got an opinion about what we're looking at here.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'Either get rid of the law or enforce it. You have laws and don’t enforce them, then people get cynical.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>—Jim Balassone, Santa Clara University ethicist\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“It sure appears like a bribe to me, given the views of the cab drivers,” he says. \"A tip comes after the service. There’s no implied reciprocity. I don’t give this to you so [you don't give me] a clunker and I don’t spend half my shift waiting for a repair.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balassone says he thinks the amount of cash changing hands also matters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If it was a couple of dollars, it’s an acknowledgment that you exist and you help me earn my money and I appreciate it,\" he says. \"If you told me it was $20, given the amount of money involved, that sounds like it’s a pay-to-play.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's the ethicist's view. How do things look from inside the industry?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's a combination,\" says Emil Lawrence, a veteran driver who once had a newspaper column called \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/A-farewell-to-fares-column-deadlines-and-2627147.php\" target=\"_blank\">The Night Cabbie\u003c/a>.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"25192029105fd5d85975922bb7206259\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you feel that you’re not going to get any business from the cab company unless you have to pay them, it’s a bribe,\" he says. \"If you feel that, hey you’re getting business already and you’re tipping them for extra business, then it’s a tip. The problem is in the majority of cases you don’t get anything unless you give them money. I’ve worked for eight or nine cab companies, and every cab company has their own unique situation, but every one of them, I never got my taxi unless I paid an implied tip, which was actually a bribe.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One driver who said he wanted to remain anonymous because he is afraid of repercussions at work, sums up the fine line on this issue: He says he tips the guys in charge of the cabs \"essentially so they'll like me. In principle, it's similar to tipping a waiter/waitress for good service, but the consequences for not tipping may be greater. If I am sick one day and have to ask if they can find another driver to cover my shift, they'll be more likely to do it because they know I'm a regular tipper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Yes, I'd prefer not to tip,\" he says. \"But the dispatchers don't earn much salary so they deserve tips. But at the same time, they also have enormous power over cab drivers since the cab companies give them the power to issue the cabs. It should be plain to see then where the abuse can occur. Cab companies will show good PR manners about this in any interview with the press. They've downplayed it before by saying tipping is simply etiquette and cab culture. But I honestly don't think they really care as long as drivers pay their gates.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tip versus bribe discussion glosses over one central point: Whatever you call these payments, they're illegal under a city ordinance, and cab companies are liable for violations. But officials at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency responsible for enforcing the law say they can't prosecute anyone without driver complaints. And drivers, in turn, are reluctant to blow the whistle on the companies because it could threaten their livelihood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balassone says whether the gratuities are tips or bribes, the real question is what's going to be done about the practice. \"If you rationalize it, it doesn’t go away, it doesn’t reach a level of import so that someone thinks they have to do something,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is wrong from an ethical standpoint. One of my thoughts is, 'Enforce the law.' Either get rid of the law or enforce it. You have laws and don’t enforce [them], then people get cynical. I would figure out a way that the cab company would have a huge fine if there was money being taken from the cab drivers. You fine two people 10 grand, you will fix the problem. There has to be a will to do that, follow-up, and some courage.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120900\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/12/13/draft-the-fine-line-between-a-taxi-drivers-tip-and-a-bribe/rs7181_taxis_22oct2013_0065_web-hpf/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120900\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-120900\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/12/RS7181_Taxis_22oct2013_0065_web-hpf.jpg\" alt=\"(Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Sara Bloomberg/KQED) \u003ccite>(Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A taxi driver gives five or 10 bucks to a dispatcher at the beginning of a shift — to get the right cab at the right time, to get lucrative calls during the day, or just because that's the way the business works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is that a tip? Or a bribe?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.scu.edu/ethics/about/people/directors/business/balassone/\" target=\"_blank\">Jim Balassone\u003c/a> directs the business ethics programs at Santa Clara University's\u003ca href=\"http://www.scu.edu/ethics/\" target=\"_blank\"> Markkula Center for Applied Ethics\u003c/a>. I asked him whether the money changing hands is properly classified as a \"bribe\" as opposed to a \"tip.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says one person's tip can be another person's bribe. But given the way the system works — with many drivers reporting they feel they must pay gratuities to other cab company employees and that there's a quid pro quo involved, Balassone's got an opinion about what we're looking at here.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'Either get rid of the law or enforce it. You have laws and don’t enforce them, then people get cynical.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>—Jim Balassone, Santa Clara University ethicist\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“It sure appears like a bribe to me, given the views of the cab drivers,” he says. \"A tip comes after the service. There’s no implied reciprocity. I don’t give this to you so [you don't give me] a clunker and I don’t spend half my shift waiting for a repair.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balassone says he thinks the amount of cash changing hands also matters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If it was a couple of dollars, it’s an acknowledgment that you exist and you help me earn my money and I appreciate it,\" he says. \"If you told me it was $20, given the amount of money involved, that sounds like it’s a pay-to-play.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's the ethicist's view. How do things look from inside the industry?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's a combination,\" says Emil Lawrence, a veteran driver who once had a newspaper column called \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/A-farewell-to-fares-column-deadlines-and-2627147.php\" target=\"_blank\">The Night Cabbie\u003c/a>.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you feel that you’re not going to get any business from the cab company unless you have to pay them, it’s a bribe,\" he says. \"If you feel that, hey you’re getting business already and you’re tipping them for extra business, then it’s a tip. The problem is in the majority of cases you don’t get anything unless you give them money. I’ve worked for eight or nine cab companies, and every cab company has their own unique situation, but every one of them, I never got my taxi unless I paid an implied tip, which was actually a bribe.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One driver who said he wanted to remain anonymous because he is afraid of repercussions at work, sums up the fine line on this issue: He says he tips the guys in charge of the cabs \"essentially so they'll like me. In principle, it's similar to tipping a waiter/waitress for good service, but the consequences for not tipping may be greater. If I am sick one day and have to ask if they can find another driver to cover my shift, they'll be more likely to do it because they know I'm a regular tipper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Yes, I'd prefer not to tip,\" he says. \"But the dispatchers don't earn much salary so they deserve tips. But at the same time, they also have enormous power over cab drivers since the cab companies give them the power to issue the cabs. It should be plain to see then where the abuse can occur. Cab companies will show good PR manners about this in any interview with the press. They've downplayed it before by saying tipping is simply etiquette and cab culture. But I honestly don't think they really care as long as drivers pay their gates.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tip versus bribe discussion glosses over one central point: Whatever you call these payments, they're illegal under a city ordinance, and cab companies are liable for violations. But officials at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency responsible for enforcing the law say they can't prosecute anyone without driver complaints. And drivers, in turn, are reluctant to blow the whistle on the companies because it could threaten their livelihood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balassone says whether the gratuities are tips or bribes, the real question is what's going to be done about the practice. \"If you rationalize it, it doesn’t go away, it doesn’t reach a level of import so that someone thinks they have to do something,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is wrong from an ethical standpoint. One of my thoughts is, 'Enforce the law.' Either get rid of the law or enforce it. You have laws and don’t enforce [them], then people get cynical. I would figure out a way that the cab company would have a huge fine if there was money being taken from the cab drivers. You fine two people 10 grand, you will fix the problem. There has to be a will to do that, follow-up, and some courage.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "July 4 Transit and Parking Around the Bay Area",
"title": "July 4 Transit and Parking Around the Bay Area",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_69358\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/07/fireworks-in-the-Bay-Area.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-69358\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/07/fireworks-in-the-Bay-Area-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Communities around the Bay Area will set off fireworks to celebrate Indepdence Day. (Getty Images)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Communities around the Bay Area will set off fireworks to celebrate Indepdence Day. (Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With a BART strike that could stretch into the July 4 holiday, you just may want to start thinking ahead about how to get to all those barbecues and fireworks shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below are transit and parking enforcement plans for major agencies in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Transit:\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bart.gov/\">BART\u003c/a> - BART is updating their website with the latest news about ongoing labor negotiations. If the BART strike continues into the holiday follow \u003ca href=\"http://alert.511.org/\">511.org\u003c/a> for commute options between the East Bay and San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\">SFMTA\u003c/a> - The annual Independence Day celebration will start at 2 p.m. along the waterfront near the Municipal Pier and Pier 39. The fireworks display will begin at 9:30 p.m. Here is a \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\" target=\"_blank\">list of street and area closures\u003c/a> related to these events.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://tripplanner.transit.511.org/mtc/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?#tab1Selected\" target=\"_blank\">Plan a trip with 511.org\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.caltrain.com/schedules/weekendtimetable.html\" target=\"_blank\">Caltrain schedule\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.actransit.org/maps/#\" target=\"_blank\">AC Transit maps and schedules\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.samtrans.com/schedulesandmaps.html\" target=\"_blank\">SamTrans schedules and maps\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.vta.org/schedules/schedules_bynumber.html\" target=\"_blank\">Santa Clara Valley Transit Schedules\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://goldengate.org/news/transit/july4th2013.php#july4th\" target=\"_blank\">Golden Gate Transit July 4 schedules\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>A Sunday service schedule will be in effect for \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/transit\">Muni\u003c/a>, but the agency is also offering additional service on certain routes, including pre-event bus shuttles to Pier 39 and Van Ness Avenue and Chestnut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The America's Cup Challenger Series, the Louis Vuitton Cup, also opens Thursday. Muni will provide bus shuttles from Pier 27 to the Marina Green between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The E-Embarcadero streetcar line will operate between the Fisherman’s Wharf and the 4th and King Caltrain Station from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\" target=\"_blank\">Click here for a complete list of service advisories related to Jul 4 events\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.actransit.org/\">AC Transit\u003c/a> - AC Transit management is in labor negotiations with its transit union, so there is a chance of a walkout. Assuming AC Transit is running, the system will follow a Sunday schedule. Check the site for updates about individual bus lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!--more-->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Parking Enforcement:\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco - The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\">SFMTA\u003c/a> indicates that parking meters, posted time-limit zones and seven-day street sweeping will be enforced citywide on the holiday. Commuter tow away, residential parking permits and Monday-Friday daytime street sweeping will not be enforced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland - The City of Oakland \u003ca href=\"http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/fwawebsite/parking/parking_mc&r.htm\">website\u003c/a> indicates that July 4 is a parking meter holiday. \u003ca href=\"http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/o/FE/s/SS/index.htm\">Street sweeping in Oakland\u003c/a> will not happen July 4.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose - San Jose is a meter holiday, but street sweeping will still be enforced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Additional Useful Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://511.org/\">511.org\u003c/a> - The general 511 web portal has transit information for just about transit agency in the Bay Area. For an extended list of July 4 agency schedules go \u003ca href=\"http://transit.511.org/schedules/holiday.aspx\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"description": "With a BART strike that could stretch into the July 4 holiday, you just may want to start thinking ahead about how to get to all those barbecues and fireworks shows. Below are transit and parking enforcement plans for major agencies in the Bay Area. Transit: BART - BART is updating their website with the",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_69358\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/07/fireworks-in-the-Bay-Area.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-69358\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/07/fireworks-in-the-Bay-Area-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Communities around the Bay Area will set off fireworks to celebrate Indepdence Day. (Getty Images)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Communities around the Bay Area will set off fireworks to celebrate Indepdence Day. (Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With a BART strike that could stretch into the July 4 holiday, you just may want to start thinking ahead about how to get to all those barbecues and fireworks shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below are transit and parking enforcement plans for major agencies in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Transit:\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bart.gov/\">BART\u003c/a> - BART is updating their website with the latest news about ongoing labor negotiations. If the BART strike continues into the holiday follow \u003ca href=\"http://alert.511.org/\">511.org\u003c/a> for commute options between the East Bay and San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\">SFMTA\u003c/a> - The annual Independence Day celebration will start at 2 p.m. along the waterfront near the Municipal Pier and Pier 39. The fireworks display will begin at 9:30 p.m. Here is a \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\" target=\"_blank\">list of street and area closures\u003c/a> related to these events.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://tripplanner.transit.511.org/mtc/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?#tab1Selected\" target=\"_blank\">Plan a trip with 511.org\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.caltrain.com/schedules/weekendtimetable.html\" target=\"_blank\">Caltrain schedule\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.actransit.org/maps/#\" target=\"_blank\">AC Transit maps and schedules\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.samtrans.com/schedulesandmaps.html\" target=\"_blank\">SamTrans schedules and maps\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.vta.org/schedules/schedules_bynumber.html\" target=\"_blank\">Santa Clara Valley Transit Schedules\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://goldengate.org/news/transit/july4th2013.php#july4th\" target=\"_blank\">Golden Gate Transit July 4 schedules\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>A Sunday service schedule will be in effect for \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/transit\">Muni\u003c/a>, but the agency is also offering additional service on certain routes, including pre-event bus shuttles to Pier 39 and Van Ness Avenue and Chestnut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The America's Cup Challenger Series, the Louis Vuitton Cup, also opens Thursday. Muni will provide bus shuttles from Pier 27 to the Marina Green between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The E-Embarcadero streetcar line will operate between the Fisherman’s Wharf and the 4th and King Caltrain Station from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\" target=\"_blank\">Click here for a complete list of service advisories related to Jul 4 events\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.actransit.org/\">AC Transit\u003c/a> - AC Transit management is in labor negotiations with its transit union, so there is a chance of a walkout. Assuming AC Transit is running, the system will follow a Sunday schedule. Check the site for updates about individual bus lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!--more-->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Parking Enforcement:\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco - The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/news/press-releases/transit-and-traffic-advisory-san-francisco-independence-day-fireworks\">SFMTA\u003c/a> indicates that parking meters, posted time-limit zones and seven-day street sweeping will be enforced citywide on the holiday. Commuter tow away, residential parking permits and Monday-Friday daytime street sweeping will not be enforced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland - The City of Oakland \u003ca href=\"http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/fwawebsite/parking/parking_mc&r.htm\">website\u003c/a> indicates that July 4 is a parking meter holiday. \u003ca href=\"http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/o/FE/s/SS/index.htm\">Street sweeping in Oakland\u003c/a> will not happen July 4.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Jose - San Jose is a meter holiday, but street sweeping will still be enforced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Additional Useful Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://511.org/\">511.org\u003c/a> - The general 511 web portal has transit information for just about transit agency in the Bay Area. For an extended list of July 4 agency schedules go \u003ca href=\"http://transit.511.org/schedules/holiday.aspx\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "muni-puts-up-counter-ads-to-controversial-pro-israel-messages-on-buses-activist-says-manifestation-of-sharia",
"title": "Muni Puts Up Counter Ads to Controversial Pro-Israel Messages; Activist Says 'Manifestation of Sharia'",
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"content": "\u003cp>Muni has placed a counter-ad on 10 of its buses right alongside the controversial pro-Israel message that an activist bought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni’s ads read:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>SFMTA policy prohibits discrimination based on national origin, religion, and other characteristics, and condemns statements that describe any group as “savages.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Muni’s ad has an arrow pointing downward to the original ad, which has caused a stir with this language:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Muni spokesman Paul Rose tells ABC 7 in San Francisco, “Obviously, we think the ads that are in place right now are repulsive and they definitely cross a line. There’s not a lot we can do, in light of the First Amendment”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pamela Geller with the American Freedom Defense Initiative paid for the original ad and \u003ca href=\"http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/08/video-pamela-geller-on-abc-news-on-systemic-anti-semitism-by-city-of-san-francisco-running-discrimin.html\">responds on her blog\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>This is unprecedented in the history of outdoor advertising. This is the manifestation of Sharia in Western society. Any war on innocent civilians is savage. They are reading the idea that “all Muslims” or “all Arabs” want to destroy Israel into my ad. That is nowhere in my message. They are the Islamophobes and racists.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Geller writes she plans to run another ad, to counter the counter ad:\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\" style=\"text-align: left\">\n\u003cdl>\n\u003cdt>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/08/Counter-Counter-Ad1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-73635\" title=\"Counter Counter Ad\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/08/Counter-Counter-Ad1-300x103.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"457\" height=\"157\">\u003c/a>\u003c/dt>\n\u003cdd>\u003c/dd>\n\u003c/dl>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>So will Muni place a counter-counter-counter ad? We’ll keep you posted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Muni has placed a counter-ad on 10 of its buses right alongside the controversial pro-Israel message that an activist bought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Muni’s ads read:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>SFMTA policy prohibits discrimination based on national origin, religion, and other characteristics, and condemns statements that describe any group as “savages.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Muni’s ad has an arrow pointing downward to the original ad, which has caused a stir with this language:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat jihad.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Muni spokesman Paul Rose tells ABC 7 in San Francisco, “Obviously, we think the ads that are in place right now are repulsive and they definitely cross a line. There’s not a lot we can do, in light of the First Amendment”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pamela Geller with the American Freedom Defense Initiative paid for the original ad and \u003ca href=\"http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/08/video-pamela-geller-on-abc-news-on-systemic-anti-semitism-by-city-of-san-francisco-running-discrimin.html\">responds on her blog\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>This is unprecedented in the history of outdoor advertising. This is the manifestation of Sharia in Western society. Any war on innocent civilians is savage. They are reading the idea that “all Muslims” or “all Arabs” want to destroy Israel into my ad. That is nowhere in my message. They are the Islamophobes and racists.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Geller writes she plans to run another ad, to counter the counter ad:\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\" style=\"text-align: left\">\n\u003cdl>\n\u003cdt>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/08/Counter-Counter-Ad1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-73635\" title=\"Counter Counter Ad\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2012/08/Counter-Counter-Ad1-300x103.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"457\" height=\"157\">\u003c/a>\u003c/dt>\n\u003cdd>\u003c/dd>\n\u003c/dl>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>So will Muni place a counter-counter-counter ad? We’ll keep you posted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_26339\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 250px\">\u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/b00nj/4086379546/sizes/m/in/photostream/\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2011/05/taxiSM1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"taxiSM\" width=\"250\" height=\"188\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26339\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: b00nj Flickr\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As independent contractors, cab drivers are notoriously hard to organize. But on Tuesday, in conjunction with a board meeting of the Municipal Transportation Authority (MTA), hundreds of them waved signs, filled the seats of the meeting room, and circled City Hall honking their horns, all in protest of new MTA rules that drivers see as patently unfair. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest objection: a five percent fee cabbies now must pony up on every fare paid with a credit card, a payment option they are required to offer. Most small businesses pay somewhere between 2.5%-3% on credit card transactions, and cabbies want to know why they are being charged more. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, they are upset that at the end of a shift, money from credit card fares—minus the 5% fee—gets deposited in a bank account. They can’t access that money for 24 to 48 hours, and when they do, withdrawal fees often apply.\u003c!--more-->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers want to be able to pass on these extra costs to passengers, but haven't gotten a fare hike since 2003.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another oft-repeated complaint was about the new electronic waybill, which is meant to keep better track of where drivers go and how much they get paid for each fare. Drivers don’t want their financial information transmitted through a third party and are worried that info will be sent to the IRS. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As driver after driver stood in front of the MTA Board to protest, one thing was clear: They may be regulated by the MTA, but they do not feel represented on the board. Many drivers claim the agency does not know the taxi industry and invited board members to drive a cab for a day to see what it's like. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tariq Mehmood organized the protest. He claims that on average in 2000 a “gate and gas” taxi driver—someone who rents a cab for ten hours--could make $200 per shift. Now the average is somewhere between $100-140 because the cost to rent the cab has gone up, as have gas prices and other fees, while meter rates have not. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once taxi drivers took over the MTA meeting, there wasn’t much comment from anyone else about why the new regulations were passed. The MTA plans to hold two town hall style meetings on May 11th and 16th for more public comment before their May 17th Board meeting when MTA staff will present on the taxi issues. If no changes come out of that meeting, taxi drivers I spoke to said they would strike until they got at least some of what they demand.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
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"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"order": 16
},
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},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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