USW Challenges Elected Officials to Stand with Drivers
Contact: Tony Montana (412) 562-2592 or tmontana@usw.org
PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that Region 28 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a consolidated complaint against Western Cab Co. for bad-faith bargaining as well as for failing to notify or bargain with the union prior to implementing changes in working conditions and before suspending or terminating employees.
More than 300 drivers for Western Cab, which is owned by the heirs of late Las Vegas entrepreneur and civic leader Herb Tobman, have been working without a contract for more than two years while negotiations toward a first collective bargaining agreement proceed.
USW District 12 Director Bob LaVenture indicated that elected leaders like Sen. Harry Reid and Reps. Dina Titus and Steven Horsford, along with other state and local government officials, need to increase public pressure on the Tobman family.
“The NLRB complaint makes clear that the company’s schemes have prevented us from reaching a collective bargaining agreement,” LaVenture said. “It’s time for our elected officials to support Western drivers and demand that the Tobman family obeys the law and negotiates with our union in good faith for a fair contract.”
LaVenture said that drivers are not seeking exorbitant wage or benefit increases but are simply looking for a contract that puts them on par with other major taxi operators in the Las Vegas area. The union will deliver thousands of signatures on petitions to the offices of elected officials, urging their vocal support for Western Cab drivers.
“All work has dignity, and the drivers at Western deserve to be treated with respect,” LaVenture said. “We simply want to know where our elected representatives stand.”
According to the complaint, the NLRB will seek an order that compels the company to bargain in good faith and has set a hearing for Jan. 27, 2015 before an administrative law judge.
The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in public sector and service occupations.
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