The presidents of the two existing unions are both running for the position and agree a single drivers’ union will strengthen their position at the bargaining table with the city Parking Authority when it comes to fare increases, fare payment systems and other contested regulations and fees.

“We're trying to organize ourselves to have one union voice,” said Muhammad Chughtai of the

United Brotherhood of Taxi Drivers and Owner-Operators.

Neither Chughtai nor Ronald Blount of the Taxi Workers’ Alliance could give exact membership figures for their unions.

Estimates range from 600 to 1,200 for the Taxi Workers’ Alliance, which has been around for about three years, and 600 to 800 for the United Brotherhood, which is about 15 years old. There are about 5,000 taxi drivers in Philadelphia, Blount said.

“We’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Blount said. “We’ll be able to speak together from now on and provide a better service to taxi workers.”

Blount, Chughtai and other taxi drivers have struggled to make any inroads on hotly contested Philadelphia Parking Authority mandates like GPS devices and credit card machines inside cabs.

A couple attempts at labor actions in the past two years have also been underwhelming and failed to cause any measurable disruption in citywide taxi service.

http://philly.metro.us/metro/local/article/Citys_cabbie_unions_seek_shared_voice/12859.html