Cabbies in 6-Day Strike Against 3 Companies Picket at City Hall

About a dozen taxicab drivers picketed Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday to dramatize their six-day walkout against three of the city’s 11 taxi companies.

A spokesman for the 120 striking drivers, Leif Skyving, accused Vincent de Ceasar, owner of Valley Celebrity, Celebrity and Red Top cab companies, of diverting incoming taxi calls to his airport shuttle and limousine businesses. The practice has helped cut fares by 50% for the drivers in the last 18 months, he said.

Skyving also charged that De Ceasar, whose three franchises represent about 12% of the city’s taxi fleet of 1,200, manipulated negotiations over new insurance carriers, which increased insurance rates to nearly $5,000 per taxi annually from $3,000 last year,

Reached late Tuesday, De Ceasar said the striking drivers had legitimate complaints regarding the high insurance premiums but denied that he manipulated the negotiations. He also denied that incoming taxi calls were being diverted to his other transportation businesses.

He said the taxi franchise owners in Los Angeles have joined an industry council to help police themselves and noted that some of the striking drivers were rude and had denied service to senior citizens, who had complained to him.

Celebrity Cab operates 50 taxis in the West Los Angeles-Westchester area, while Valley Celebrity has 38 cabs in the San Fernando Valley. Red Top has a 50-cab fleet that covers downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and West Los Angeles.

The three companies, which are authorized to pick up fares at Los Angeles International Airport, have begun to hire replacements to take the place of the strikers, De Ceasar said.