NLRB v. Friendly Cab Co.

I. Background

Friendly, along with six other taxicab entities, operates out of a facility in Oakland, California, and is under the control of Surinder Singh, the chief administrator, and her husband, NLRB v. FRIENDLY CAB COMPANY 179 Baljit Singh, the president of the company.1 Friendly owns approximately eighty taxicabs (fifty of which are designated as airport cabs) and leases these cabs to its drivers who oper- ate them at the Oakland International Airport and in the cities of Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda, California. These leases typically state that the taxicabs are rented for seven days, renew automatically, and provide the drivers with six days of service and one day of mandatory maintenance per week. Each of Friendly’s drivers is required to pay a fee or “gate,” which ranges from $450 to $600 per week based on Friendly’s discretion.2 In determining this fee, Friendly takes into account the cab model, as well as the driver’s driving record, driving ability, and prior accidents. Friendly has a lim- ited number of permits to operate at the Oakland Airport, which are in high demand and are typically held by drivers with more experience.…