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L to R: Cliff Wright of Royal Coach and Limousine, CD’s Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela and Managing Editor Susan Rose, and Joey Wright of Royal Coach and Limousine
Washington, D.C. — Over 100 operators descended upon our nation’s capital on April 26-27 for the NLA’s annual Day on the Hill, the industry’s most successful lobbying effort. The meetings once again took place at the St. Regis and was spearheaded by the NLA Board of Directors and staff, in conjunction with Cornerstone Government Affairs, a public affairs firm that has been assisting the association for several years and understands the challenges our industry is tackling.
TNCs dominated the conversation as they continue to be the perennial issue plaguing legitimate and legally operating transportation companies nationwide and all over the world. The industry has won small victories throughout the country—often in regards to TNC regulation, mandatory fingerprinting and background checks, and keeping TNCs out of cities entirely—but the war wages on in many other cities, counties, and states.
The event came on the heels of two game-changing settlements to class action lawsuits initiated by Uber drivers in California and Massachusetts. Drivers won an $84 million settlement with the potential for an additional $16 million should the company go public and profits meet a certain percentage; however, drivers had to agree to remain independent contractors instead of continuing to seek the employee status they were fighting for in the lawsuit. Being granted employee status would have given drivers additional protections and compensation that they currently do not receive—and which would have cost Uber and other TNCs potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. The buzz at Day on the Hill was the pittance that most drivers in the settlement would receive—some as low as $24.
NLA Secretary Scott Solombrino, president of Dav El/BostonCoach, who has been an outspoken opponent of TNCs’ tactics to strong-arm local regulators and politicians, noted that the settlement still didn’t address the key issue: misclassification of Uber drivers as ICs.
“This is about protecting the American worker. Uber effectively controls their drivers as employees, but refuses to fairly compensate them (e.g., overtime, workers’ compensation, health care),” he said in a USA Today article about the settlement.
Of course, the issue may not be entirely dead and buried since other class action lawsuits have sprung up across the nation. Also, the settlement requires Uber to make certain changes to its partnership with drivers, which includes more warning before terminating a driver from its platform. The settlement was the topic of many heated discussions with NLA operators.
CD’s Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela (left) and NLA President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury Transportation
The first day of the two-day event commenced with a Board of Directors meeting, which was attended by CD’s Managing Editor Susan Rose and Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela. Cornerstone held events later in the day to bring attendees up to speed on local TNC battles, as well as prepare them for their congressional meetings that would take place the following morning and afternoon. Louie Perry, Todd Webster, and Mike Smith of Cornerstone also provided an update on the contentious presidential primary as well as other local races that may impact the industry’s chances to successfully level the playing field. Operators have been carefully cultivating relationships with their representatives, and the election could have an impact.
The final day began with a breakfast before operators were bused to the Capitol to meet with their local representatives and/or their aides; each group included a skilled and seasoned member of Cornerstone who was familiar with the process. Cornerstone facilitated all of the meetings and collected talking points to assist operators in initiating conversation. By all accounts, meetings were productive and representatives were receptive to the issues affecting the industry.
Chauffeur Driven will have more about Day on the Hill in the June issue.
NLA has also responded to developments in Texas cities Austin and Houston. Solombrino lauded Austin’s “common-sense regulation” to require fingerprinting of TNC drivers, which was passed by the city council in 2015. In an up-or-down vote, Austin residents overwhelmingly voted to uphold the measure, and both Uber and Lyft stopped operating in the city in protest on May 9.
Last week, NLA President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury Transportation penned an open letter to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to express his gratitude for his support of the industry. From the letter, Buffo wrote: “The drivers of these TNCs operate in a manner that – with few exceptions – mirrors taxi and private ‘black car’ services, and interact with a large cross-section of your populous in Houston. It is only fair that the citizens of your great city step into a TNC-operated vehicle with the same confidence and security they have when using any other means of private ground transportation. … The National Limousine Association applauds you, and proudly stands by your side.” The full letter can be read at limo.org/press-room/400630.
Visit limo.org for more information.
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Taylor, Mich. — Metro Cars, a leading ground transportation service in the metro Detroit area, recently introduced its new Chauffeur Direct service. This new innovation is an automated messenger system that introduces passengers to their driver up to one hour prior to pick up. Passengers are provided with the driver’s photo and cell phone number. During the trip, real time tracking updates can be provided to both the passenger and anyone that they designate.
“Metro Cars has long been an industry leader in ensuring passenger safety,” commented Metro Cars CEO Daniel Ret. “This service is a natural continuation of our commitment to putting the customer’s safety first.”
This new service reinforces the importance of choosing the right company for all your door-to-door transportation needs, particularly in light of the recent tragedies surrounding Uber and other TNCs. Passengers and their families who use the Chauffeur Direct service can feel confident that they and their loved ones will arrive safely to their destination.
Passengers can book a ride through Metro Cars’ new online booking app, which is available for download. Once booked, all aspects of the ride can be tracked via the online app or through text message.
The company also announced that it has once again been selected as the “Best Transportation Company” in Michigan by Michigan Meetings & Events Magazine for a second year in a row. Winners were chosen by readers of magazine and recognize excellence in a number of categories related to meeting management and events.
“It is an honor to once again be selected as Michigan’s leading transportation company,” said Ret. “The fact that our customers voted for us to win this award makes it even more special.”
Visit metrocars.com for more information.
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L to R: Barry Trabb of Complete Fleet Livery Sales, CD Assistant Editor Rob Smentek, CD Director of Events Jess Pavlow, Bruce Cirlin of Complete Fleet Livery Sales, Jeff Brodsly of Chosen Payments, and Jon Epstein of Royal Coachman Worldwide
The Complete Fleet team—President Barry Trabb, Sales Expert Bruce Cirlin, and Finance Specialist Dino Olivares—worked two months to plan and execute the meeting, including securing donated items for the auction. Complete Fleet also offered a preview of the upcoming 2017 Lincoln Continental outside of the venue.
“It’s always nice to see the group get together and give back to the association,” said Trabb. “I think the evening setting helped people be more relaxed, more and treat the event more like an occasion than just another meeting.”
Following a meet-and-greet cocktail hour, LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Chauffeured Services Worldwide welcomed the crowd and thanked the evening’s sponsors, which included Premier Sponsors Complete Fleet Sales, Maplecrest Ford-Lincoln, and Ford Motor Company; Gold Sponsors Capacity Coverage and Karhoo; Silver Sponsors Chosen Payments, Create-A-Card, DriveProfit, and Intek Auto Leasing; and Grech Motors, who backed the cocktail hour and valet parking.
LANJ President Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Chauffeured Services Worldwide presents a plaque to former LANJ President Jeff Shanker of RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation for his years of service to the association
Sharenow then recognized two individuals for their dedication to LANJ. First, previous LANJ President Jeff Shanker, now with RMA Worldwide in Rockville, Md., was presented with a plaque for what Sharenow described as “laying out the framework” for the success of the association; next, Jim Moseley, also a past president of LANJ who retired from the industry earlier in the year, was gifted a clock for his years of service.
Coincidently, the auction event was held on the eve of an important hearing in the N.J. State Legislature. In the association update Sharenow provided to the evening’s attendees, he detailed the testimony that he would deliver the next day in support of two proposed bills, AB-3695 (“Uber Bill”) and AB-3696 (“Limousine Bill”), which were designed to level the playing field between TNCs and the chauffeured ground transportation industry. Among the items in the Uber Bill are mandatory background checks and fingerprinting for TNC drivers. The Limousine Bill deals with new insurance provisions and the removing sales tax from limousine services, from which TNCs are exempt. Mike Delamater, legislative director for the NJ Assembly, was on hand at the auction to provide some further insight into the bills.
After dinner was served, the auction got underway. As he has every year, Peter Corelli of Lakeview Custom Coach once again filled the role of auctioneer, encouraging members to be generous with their bids. A wide array of donations was up for auction, including items like sports memorabilia, event tickets, wine baskets, professional services, and gift cards. CD contributed a full-page advertisement, a pass to next year’s Executive Retreat, and a pair of certificates for October’s Chauffeur Driven Show in Washington, D.C. The ad was won by Billy Reitman of Intek Leasing; Joe Gulino of Gem Limousine Worldwide took home the Retreat pass; and the D.C. certificates were awarded to Mike Rose of Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation. The auction’s big ticket item, a set of eight custom conference room chairs, was won by Jeff Brodsly from Chosen Payments. In total, the auction, and accompanying 50-50 raffle, raised more than $21,000 for the association. Trabb estimates that the auction events have raised a total $200,000 for LANJ over the years.
To close the event, Sharenow invited a few attendees to speak, including Weiss, who recognized the generosity of LANJ members and provided a brief overview of the Chauffeur Driven Show. National Limousine Association Executive Director Sarah Gazi closed out the night by presenting LANJ with a rebate check for $7,422.
The following day, Sharenow and other LANJ members—including Corelli, Michael Barreto of Flyte Tyme Worldwide Transportation, Rich Badalamenti of Music Express, and board members David Seelinger of EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services and Michael Renehan of Concorde Worldwide—headed to Trenton to testify before lawmakers about the bills at hand. Ultimately, the day was a rousing success with the Uber Bill passing through the assembly with a staggering 11-0 vote (2 legislators abstained). The Limousine Bill was even more successful, as it was passed with a 14-0 vote.
The next LANJ general meeting is September 28.
Visit lanj.org for more information.
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