Taxi Strike All Bark, No Bite

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Dec 1, 2008 6:50PM

After a lot of huffing and puffing, a group of cab drivers across the city went on strike yesterday at 2 p.m. for 24 hours, but the strike didn't make much of a dent. Advocacy group United Taxidrivers Community Council is calling for a 16 percent fare hike effective January 1; the city has already said the fare hike is coming, it just won't happen until the spring. Spokesman Fayez Khozindar said, "We're sending a message to the city. We're not trying to inconvenience the public." Another group, the Chicago Professional Taxicab Drivers Association, refused to strike for fear of upsetting passengers who have enough to worry about in the trouble economy. Workers and passengers at O'Hare said they didn't notice any problems or fewer cabs. One does have to wonder about the logic of striking on one of the most potentially profitable days of the year.