A "crowdsource" request is more than a request for help. I am asking all of you who read this blog to put in a little bit of your knowledge of this situation in the comments as part of my research for this story.
What I need from all of you is to give me whatever information you have about the Taxi Alliance strike that is going on right now and that will continue until Friday morning (that's when the scheduled 48 hours of the strike will end).
I could actually write off-the-bat a littany of reasons why the GPS system that is being rammed down the throats of taxi drivers is a really bad idea --not just from an ethical standpoint but also from a legal one; especially if we are talking about how this would impact not just the civil rights of drivers but of passengers as well.
But the one sticking poing in this situation is the division between the two unions. On one end is the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, led by a woman called Bharavi Desai. On the other end is the opposing union, New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, led by a Fernando Mateo.
I have spoken to Ms. Desai and have gotten background on their grievances. I have tried contacting Mr. Mateo to no avail.
This is what I am missing in this story :
Why would a union not only oppose the strike but go out of their way to smear their efforts if it is supposed to help all taxi drivers, not just the members of one union?
I really, really want to know what does Fernando Mateo get out of all of this?
Ok people, strart your research, rumors and gossip engines. I want everything you've got in the comments.
If perchance, you want to contact me directly, just ping editors [at] dailygotham [dot] com.
Thanks!
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