Disgruntled cab drivers go back to work

Lolita Harper

SUNLAND -- After four days of refusing to pick up fares and allegedly

threatening those who did, a disgruntled group of cab drivers from a trio

of cab companies went back to work Monday without resolution from

management, City Cab’s owner said.

City Cab, Checkered Cab and Yellow Cab began their work action Friday.

“I told them I would discuss things with them, but they needed to go

back to work,” said City Cab owner Scott Schaffer. “If they didn’t like

the way the company was run, they could leave.”

Yourik Torossian, who served as a spokesman for the cab drivers, said

he now thinks he was manipulated into believing the drivers’ allegations

of dispatchers giving unfair advantages to People’s Taxi, a competing cab

company.

“The other drivers lied to me and told me these things were happening

when they weren’t,” said Torossian, who had been with Yellow Cab for only

six weeks. “They used me to talk to the media because I was new.”

Schaffer met with Torossian Monday, showed him the dispatching room

and explained to him that the allegations were nearly impossible,

Torossian said.

Fearing for his safety, Torossian would not say who manipulated.

Schaffer added that he would not fire Torossian but will fire the

instigators of the conflict.

“I have an idea who it is but I don’t know for sure,” he said. “It’ll

all come out in the wash.”

The job action had little effect on Burbank, city officials said.

There were no reports of problems at the Burbank Airport, said Marcy

Greenberger, airport operations manager.

City, Checkered and Yellow cab companies did lose business due to the

related press coverage, Schaffer said. Account holders called, wondering

if the company was reliable or not. If the drivers thought business was

slow before, the job action did nothing to help, he said.

People’s Taxi, which the drivers alleged received preferential

treatment from dispatchers, gained business from the job action. In an

effort to ensure Burbank would not be affected, Paul Dibel, the assistant

community development director, authorized emergency licenses to People’s

Taxi -- normally licensed in Glendale and Pasadena.