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Taxi strike looms
'You can barely make a living in this business,' cabbie laments

Thursday, January 08, 2004

It may be virtually impossible to get a taxi in Windsor after midnight tonight when a CAW strike deadline runs out, threatening to put up to 300 Veteran Cab drivers on the picket line after a breakdown in bargaining Wednesday.

"We regret to announce that, despite our best efforts, we're not about to get an agreement with Veteran Cab," Mike Renaud, president of CAW Local 195, told a news conference late Wednesday afternoon. "Talks have not been fruitful. The company left the bargaining table. It leaves us no choice."

Read More...

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Mayor enters taxi talks
By Chris Thompson Star Staff Reporter
Friday, January 09, 2004

Last-minute efforts to avert a Veteran Cab drivers strike were taking place at Mayor Eddie Francis's office late Thursday.

Drivers were poised to go on strike today after talks with a conciliator broke off Wednesday.

After midnight, 50 strikers began picketing in front of the cab headquarters after an occasionally raucous meeting of about 175 cab drivers at the CAW Local 195 hall on Ottawa Street.

But reached on his cell phone late Thursday Local 195 president Mike Renaud said "We're working on something."

When asked if he had had further meetings with the company, Renaud replied: "We're at the mayor's office." Read More...

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One of those who said he will not strike is driver Dave Budnaruk. He said the CAW has never offered any proof of a financial benefit from union affiliation.

He said he cannot get answers from the union when he asks about its bargaining position.

"They ask us to support them but we're supporting an unknown," he said. "It's like walking in a minefield."

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Well if there's many like this dude around it may be pretty unpleasant. From what very little I know about the taxi industry, it sounds organizationally chaotic.