Taxicab Authority renews emergency operating permits

The Nevada Taxicab Authority renewed emergency operating permits Tuesday to try to keep service going during a possible drivers strike, although it was unclear how effective this would be.

The measure approved by the four board members in attendance creates 30 permits, known as medallions, for each company not affected by a work stoppage.

Authority administrator Charles Harvey could issue them immediately if a company went on strike, then adjust the numbers depending on whether too many or too few cabs were put on the streets to maintain service for tourists and conventiongoers.

Union drivers at both Frias Transportation Management, the largest cab company in Las Vegas, and No. 2 Yellow Checker Star Transportation have voted to reject contract proposals since mid-October. Drivers represented by the Industrial Technical Professional Employees Union will bargain with Yellow Checker Star management starting today to try to reach a new agreement, while Frias and the United Steelworkers Local 711A will resume talks Dec. 19.

In addition, Yellow Checker Star drivers voted last week to authorize a strike, but it would not begin before Sunday.
An allocation of 30 strike medallions approved in late October expired last month.

Combined, the five Frias-owned brands and Yellow Checker Star hold 55 percent of the 2,409 medallions authorized for Las Vegas. A medallion must be physically inside any taxi that carries fare-paying passengers, but some medallions carry time or geographic restrictions. Typically, each medallion must be approved by a board vote, but board chairwoman Ileana Drobkin said it was difficult to round up a quorum on short notice.

She said she did not want to endanger the recovery of the visitor industry with a taxi strike . The massive Specialty Equipment Market Association convention in October rented shuttle buses as a backstop to strike talk, she said.

"How many times, especially with smaller shows, are they going to rent shuttle buses at their own expense and still want to come back to Las Vegas?" Drobkin said.

Even with the emergency medallions, Harvey said, "it is difficult to predict what the impact would be if there is a work stoppage."

Each company has several hundred drivers who are not union members, so it is hard to tell how many would cross a picket line, Harvey said. Further, he said, 30 medallions would be a lot for some of the smaller companies to absorb.

"Are there enough drivers to fill all those (medallions)? We don't know," Harvey said.

If Frias and Yellow Checker Star went on strike at the same time, he said, "It could be devastating."

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.