by Ben Sears

July 8, 2010

PHILADELPHIA--Close to 200 members and supporters of the Philadelphia Taxi Workers Alliance braved 100 degree heat and rallied outside the headquarters of the Philadelphia Parking Authority today, July 7, to protest the continuing detention of four of their members and the harassment and temporary detention of 21 others.

Weeks ago, the Parking Authority mailed notices to 100 drivers to report to headquarters to receive money they were owed for fares collected by credit card transactions. When they arrived on June 30, 25 drivers were "thrown up against the wall," searched and detained by ICE immigration agents. Twenty-one were released that evening after being held for several hours, and four were detained indefinitely. The Alliance, an ethnically diverse organization, includes citizens and non-citizens among its ranks, including many first generation immigrants.

Taxi Worker Alliance President Ron Blount told the World that the spirited rally was to protest the intrusion of the Philadelphia Parking Authority into the enforcement of immigration law, an area where they have no jurisdiction. He pointed out if only four of the 6,000 members of the alliance were being detained, then "there is not a problem," in the area of immigration. The great majority of immigrant drivers are in the country legally, and the Parking Authority was clearly out of bounds, he said.

Dave Bennion, an attorney with the Nationalities Service Center, said the Parking Authority is not even a law enforcement agency, and that its action undermines the ability of law enforcement officers to do their jobs.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, their reporter was told "the Parking Authority worked with federal authorities on this operation."

This reporter spoke to two drivers who had been released but were wearing ankle bracelets pending a future court date. Soulieymane and Mamadou, both from Mali said they had been in the United States since 1995. Mamadou said, "You come here, you work, you try to do the right thing, and then you get arrested like this."

Steve Chervenka, a second generation American and a Vietnam veteran, is political director of the Taxi Workers Alliance. He told the crowd that an attack on first generation immigrants was an attack on all the members and that the Alliance was showing the Authority that "We do have a voice."

The rally drew support from a wide range of groups including clergy, labor, community and Jobs with Justice.

Photos: Ben Sears/PW

People's World / Mundo Popular

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Action: Is Philly taking its cue from Arizona?

Jobs with Justice supporters of the Taxi Workers' Alliance rally in support at the PPA

Dear friend,

Today (July 6), Jobs with Justice received a chilling phone call from Taxi
Workers' Alliance.

As many of you are already aware, just last Wednesday the
Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) participated in a dishonest and
exploitative raid at the request of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE).

PPA sent out deceptive letters to 75 taxi drivers, promising to pay
them earned wages from credit card fare transactions. When they
arrived and requested the promised earned income, they were sent into
an office one at a time, then immediately thrown against a wall,
handcuffed, and locked up in a warehouse by ICE and the PPA. Some were
released when they were able to produce documents about their
citizenship; four drivers are still being detained.

The Taxi Workers' Alliance is calling for a prayer vigil tomorrow,
Wednesday June 7, at noon in front of the Parking Authority at 3101
Market street.

I hope you will join me there tomorrow in uniting against this unjust
and misleading attempt to trap low-wage immigrant workers.

In solidarity,
Gwen Snyder

Click image to enlarge

The JwJ Pledge

During the next year, I will be there at least five times for someone else's fight, as well as my own. If enough of us are there, we'll all start winning.

STAND UP for our rights as working people to a decent standard of living.

SUPPORT the right of all workers to organize and bargain collectively.

FIGHT for secure family-wage jobs in the face of corporate attacks on working people and our communities.

ORGANIZE the unorganized to take aggressive action to secure a better economic future for all of us.

MOBILIZE those already organized to join the fight for jobs with justice.

Volunteer

Jobs With Justice is looking for Volunteers! Interested in workers' rights? Interested in fighting for social justice work? We need volunteers to help fight for the rights of workers in Philadelphia, as part of a broader social justice struggle. We need people to help distribute handbills, with data entry, writing articles and letters, mailings, photocopying, and much more.

If you want to engage with Jobs with Justice and be part of the solution, please be in touch!

Contact:
director@phillyjwj.org

Student Labor Action Project

As Philadelphia students and youth we commit ourselves to the struggles of working class people in this city and to the fight against all forms of oppression including racism, sexism, and homophobia. We stand for equality, the rights of workers, justice, and democracy. We are against the corporatization of education and aim to make our universities fully accountable to the communities they were built to serve. We believe that direct action wins working class families better working conditions, affordable health care, paid sick days. SLAP provides dedicated student leaders with the skills and tools necessary to affect meaningful change for workers on our campuses and in our communities through trainings, events, and actions.

Contact:

Paul Prescod

piknrol@aol.com