Download Policy Documents Great Customer Service HEREFORD INSURANCE COMPANY 6 Offices in NYC 36-01 43RD Ave
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
“Serving The wwwwww..bbllaacckkccaarrnneewwss..ccoomm For-Hire Vehicle Industry” Vol. 34 No. 12 FFHHVV TTaasskk FFoorrccee SSeeeemmss LLiikkeellyy,, DECEMBER 2019 NNoott SSoo FFaasstt oonn RReessttrriicctteedd LLiicceennsseess CCiittyy CCoouunncciill ddiissccuusssseedd ppllaannss ffoorr aann FFHHVV ttaasskk ffoorrccee aatt iittss NNoovv.. hheeaarriinngg,, bbuutt rreessttrriicctteedd lliicceennsseess aarree ssttiillll iinn qquueessttiioonn.. Doug Schifter NTSB Offers MTA to Limit Cab Is 14th Street Focus of Driver Limo Safety Usage for Car Ban Just Suicide Doc. Recommendations Access-A-Ride the Beginning? 2 • BLACK CAR NEWS • DECEMBER 2019 TLC INSURANCE APP INSHUR INSHUR has been used b y thousands driv ers sinc e 2016. No more paper work. Manage y our documents in the app. Buy a policy in the app in minut es, no more c alling or visiting a brok er. INSHUR is back ed b y one o f the largest and most financially stable insur anc e groups. Try the app f or free t oda y and w e'll send y ou a $25 Ama zon v oucher, use VIP c ode: BCN Subject t o the App’s t erms and c onditions. DECEMBER 2019 • BLACK CAR NEWS • 3 9 150K Warranty! BLOWOUT PRICING Call For Details • Last Year for the Livery MKT • Livery Navigator 2019 150K Warranty! 4 • BLACK CAR NEWS • DECEMBER 2019 Neil Weiss EDITORIAL Editor/Publisher MORE UNCERTAINLY, DESPITE A SEEMINGLY PRODUCTIVE HEARING A couple days after what nesses are teetering on the brink of classification for NYC drivers as seemed like a very productive City bankruptcy, a lot of bases have al - Independent Contractors (ICs) is Council hearing in November, I ready gone under and drivers are being threatened. New Jersey, checked in with some of the leaders struggling to feed their families. which uses the same test to deter - of the Black Car and Livery indus - FHV industry leaders submit - mine whether someone is an em - tries. I was still feeling pretty opti - ted a draft of a restricted license ployee or an IC, is claiming Uber is mistic. bill months ago, so whether Ro - misclassifying their drivers, and After all, Council Member Yda - driguez worked off of that frame - hit the company with a $650 mil - nis Rodriguez, who chairs the work to create his own bill or the lion bill for unpaid employment Transportation Committee, TLC made whatever minor adjust - taxes and fines ($523 million in un - showed support for the “restricted” ments to it they deemed necessary employment and disability insur - licenses traditional For-Hire Vehi - to create a new rule, things were ance taxes for 2014-2018 and cle (FHV) bases had been propos - looking up. another $119 million in penalties ing for more than six months. He Except now I’m hearing it could and interest). even held a rally outside City Hall take another six months to become Leaders of the Black Car and just prior to the hearing, calling on a reality, and there’s no guarantee Livery segments of the industry the [Taxi & Limousine Commis - it will happen at all. Within days of are requesting an exemption from sion] to “correct a loophole in the the meeting, there were suddenly any legislation that might force current for-hire vehicles regula - concerns the restricted licenses NYC drivers to be classified as em - tions, which is killing the City’s could hurt the City in existing and ployees, citing the industry’s his - [traditional FHV bases]… to potential lawsuits – including ones tory and the many benefits and amend the For-Hire Vehicle licens - brought by the High-Volume FHV workers’ comp insurance drivers ing regulations and across-the- companies, questioning the City’s receive through organizations like board cap, so that drivers lost to authority to implement the initial the New York Black Car Fund. retirement, career change and FHV license cap. other common causes could be re - This is unacceptable. Nobody Sign Up for Your Free Benefits! placed.” said it would be easy, but either the Speaking of benefits, a bill is This would help traditional TLC or City Council needs to step still sitting on Gov. Cuomo’s desk FHV bases regain some of the up and help correct a serious prob - that will provide even more bene - ground lost to unfair competition lem that they both played a big fits to drivers in the Black Car created when app-based services part in creating. Don’t let the fear Fund, but more drivers need to descended on NYC some years ago. of a lawsuit get in the way of doing sign up for the ones already avail - Councilmembers and the TLC the right thing and promulgating a able to them. SIGN UP TODAY for also said they want to form an FHV good policy, one that could literally your FREE FLU SHOTS, get a Task Force, specifically represent - save lives. FREE EYE EXAM & GLASSES, ing traditional bases. The top pri - There are, of course, details to use the FREE TELEMEDICINE ority for this new task force, of iron out. There has yet to be a con - PROGRAM and enjoy discount pre - course, would be the restricted li - sensus on how the restricted li - scriptions! EARN MONEY by at - censes, which would only be avail - censes will work – whether they tending wellness and defensive able for FHVs affiliated with a will be granted based on a percent - driving classes. The governor said traditional Black Car, Livery or age of fleet size, if it will be a flat he wants to be sure the benefits Luxury Limousine base – but not number, or there will be some that are already in place are actu - app-based services, which have other metric to decide how many ally helping people – and they ab - shown a propensity to over-hire, will be made available and who solutely are, when people take which is the reason the cap was in - will get them. The wheels of gov - advantage of them. troduced in the first place. ernment often turn very slowly, but For more information, contact At the hearing, Rodriguez even a framework already exists, so this the Black Car Fund today by call - mentioned a bill he planned to in - can be done quickly. We just need ing 212.269.4800 or visit troduce to create the new category a little courage and the will do to www.nybcf.org . Please take a mo - of licenses in the coming weeks. It’s the right thing. ment of your time to find out what no secret that the industry is in cri - is available to you for free, just be - sis, and the restricted licenses Employees or cause you are a member of the would go a long way towards pre - Independent Contractors? Black Car Fund. venting more suffering. Many busi - Meanwhile, the longstanding “LIKE” BLACK CAR NEWS FOR BREAKING NEWS. DECEMBER 2019 • BLACK CAR NEWS • 5 ALPINELPINE LIMOUSINEIMOUSINE SERVICEERVICE A TheThe leadingleading Lchoicechoice inin thethe corporatecorporate Sworldworld 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS SSECUREECURE YYOUROUR CCHAUFFEUR’SHAUFFEUR’S AAFFILIATIONSFFILIATIONS HHERE,ERE, ALWAYS ON TIME LLIMITEDIMITED SSLOTSLOTS AAVAILABLEVAILABLE Take Your Driving Skills To The Next Level Make Money Here FForor more information contact our Fleet Department at: 646-558-2055 Ext 800 Or email [email protected] You can do our trips or we can help you do yours! Your vehicle must be 2015 or newer, black on black, with TLC. Sedans, Hybrids & SUVs Welcome NO DRIVER Scan this QR Code DUES OR follow us: FEES www.AlpineLimoNYC.com B01871 6 • BLACK CAR NEWS • DECEMBER 2019 IRA’S INSIGHTS BY IRA J. G OLDSTEIN Hello to all! I hope everyone enjoyed sure their rear passenger seat belts are vis - as spread awareness of the unique benefits their Thanksgiving and spent time catch - ible and in good working condition – since, black car drivers are entitled to in New ing up with family and loved ones. The last if they are not, it could potentially result in York by way of The Black Car Fund. leaves are falling off the trees, a signal that a fine for them. Lastly, you may recall I have written winter and the Holiday Season are now ap - Moving onto lighter news, the Black about the BCAC’s push for a new “re - proaching. There are several important Car Assistance Corporation (BCAC) was stricted” vehicle license in previous topics I want to cover in this month’s article proud to be a sponsor for this year’s months. As a quick refresher, the proposed so I will just jump right into it. SOMOS Conference in Puerto Rico. new restricted FHV licenses would be de - Legislatively, there are a couple of new SOMOS, Inc. is a non-profit organization signed to allow Black Car, Luxury Limou - developments that everyone should be that raises awareness and advocates for sine and Livery bases to add new vehicles aware of. First, the City Council has pro - public policy and issues in the Latino com - that would only be allowed to operate posed legislation that will require drivers munity. This year’s conference was focused within their specific classes. For example, to stay at least three feet away from cy - on the ongoing crisis and recovery that a black car with a new restricted license clists when passing them in the would be allowed to work for any street. Technically, the 2010 black car base, but not for a high- State bill known as Merill’s Law volume app-based company or liv - already requires drivers to pass ery base. cyclists at a “safe” distance. We continue to make progress However, since that distance on this issue. Earlier this month, isn’t defined in the bill, it has the black car and livery industries been difficult to enforce properly.