Harvest Of Shame

The taxi business in Tampa Florida is way down. All service business are hurting. There is, however, something unique to what is going on with transportation.

The men are working for nothing. I mean NOTHING. At no time in my life have I ever seen so many settle for so little. The drivers work a shift or lease the cab daily or weekly. What is left over after lease and gas is the profit. There is little if any profit now. That is what is so weird.

I mean in any other line of work, the guys would quit or move on. For some reason these guys will complain that they are making nothing and continue to show up the next day!

Remember "Joe the Plumber" of election coverage fame? He worked for a company where he GOT PAID. If they stoped paying him, he would quit and find another job. For some reason cab drivers do not. That is what I was counting on.

I mean, if most of them quit who had families to support and such, then I would be able to make a living. The companies have found an angle in that they have become "Haitian" cab companies. The local government supports this in that the Hillsborough County Transportation Commission has allowed more permits and medallions to go out and increase the number of cabs on the streets. In the last year United Cab of Tampa has added at least 50 more cabs. This week they added another 30 and with the drivers coming over from other cities because they hear rumors about how much we are making they plan to expand with 20 more and really swell the ranks.

With the economy in the tank they are going on a massive expansion program to raise record revenue for them. They do not care that their men are STARVING! They will just put on more cabs. Hundreds and hundreds. We used to have a call count of over 2,000-3,000 daily, that is down to about 400-500. They will just keep adding more and more cabs.

This is a form of modern day indentured servitude and exploitation similar to what used to happen with the migrant Mexican farm workers until they were exposed by the media beginning with the documentary "Harvest of Shame" by Edward R. Murrow.

I wish the media would get a hold of this and show that the companies have created an environment where men are forced to work 16 hour days, 7 days a week to make Slave wages, or still OWE the company!