NYC Cabbies Seek Back Pay Over Outdated TLC Policy

The city Taxi and Limousine Commission has been ordered to pay out thousands of dollars in back wages to ten drivers who were suspended after being arrested. The drivers had their TLC licenses revoked immediately after an arrest, prior to any trial, as a result of a commission policy. This left them unable to work while their cases were pending. The victory is a result of a class action suit that has been ongoing since 2009 and could potentially benefit as many as 8,300 additional drivers. A federal appeals court found that the TLC’s post-suspension hearings offered no real possibility of appeal, prompting the commission to change its policy in 2020. The ten drivers selected as a “test trial” were awarded a total of $189,500 in back pay and emotional damages, with the awards varying from $4,500 to $42,500. The court’s ruling effectively makes all 8,300 drivers who have filed damage claims eligible for compensation. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a plaintiff in the suit, called the previous policy “sham hearings” and is now calling on the city to settle with the remaining drivers to avoid further trials.