This will appear on your receipt as NY State Black Car Fund. Its tab for meals and entertainment was $49,404, up from $22,918 half a decade before. Earlier this year, the benefits extended to workers compensation, free flu shots, prescription discount cards, paid driver classes, accident assistance, legal assistance, major medical assistance, dental discount plan, and mental health counseling. New York does have at least one entity modeled on the Black Car Fund: the Independent Livery Driver Benefit Fund, founded in 2008 to provide workers' compensation to drivers who traditionally served a working-class clientele in Upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs. When Uber came to New York City in 2011, the Black Car Fund took a hostile posture toward it, industry insiders recalled. Uber car Chauffeurs must dress professionally (usually in uniform or formal suits — comparable to what you’d expect from a high-end private driver). The e-hail providers called instead for "portable benefits" like the Black Car Fund offers. A pre-demolition inspection in June verified it was vacant, according to the Department of Buildings. share. The Black Car Fund modified its legally mandated plan of operations to increase offerings to drivers, spending $1.7 million on safety classes in what a spokesman called an effort to prevent injuries and lower workers' compensation costs. Since 2013 that fee has been 2.5%. Asked whether these payments could have amounted to $165,000 (the sum of the LLC's campaign donations), Weiss answered, "Oh my God, no.". But the fund's disclosures to the Assembly identify the LLC as a wholly owned subsidiary and describe the fund as its sole member. In addition to the vehicle comforts, drivers are also expected to be top tier. NY State will provide benefits to Uber, Lyft drivers. A FedEx tag for an undelivered package, dated 5/23, has been stuck to a barred doorway for at least 11 months. Does anyone here drive a BMW 7 Series or a Mercedes S class? On Jan. 15, two weeks before Cuomo signed the bill, the 11-02 37th Avenue LLC Political Action Committee registered with the state Board of Elections. For only $35, you can get the leading source of business news, anytime & anywhere, for an entire year. The property's tax bill goes to that same address. Additional Reasons To Tip. What other entities are out there like this?". State Board of Elections records show the first ones came from the fund itself, starting with $5,000 to the Kings County Democratic Party in April 2013. Andrew Cuomo, and is the first-in-the-nation portable benefits fund of its kind. The recently passed bill builds upon New York’s long track record of being the nation’s leader in standing up for for-hire drivers. Disclosures for 2017 show revenues from fees and investments exceeded $97 million and a net income of $2.6 million. What is the most common UberBLACK car in the NYC area? According to the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics, the fund has spent more than $1.6 million on lobbyists since 2011 and now pays them almost $25,000 a month. "I think in that way it was so revolutionary and ahead of its time, really," Goldstein said of the fund on National Public Radio last year. New York City yellow cab drivers have workers’ compensation insurance through a different program. It also joined a lawsuit to block city regulations aimed at increasing the number of wheelchair-accessible for-hire cars. The fund also pays $50,000 to family members of drivers killed on the job. But several sources pointed to a longstanding proposal that would enormously expand the Black Car Fund's powers and revenues and, potentially, the compensation of its senior staff. The new feature allows riders to choose electric and hybrid vehicles when they log onto the updated app. It announced plans to raze it and erect a glassy 5-story headquarters with a parking garage and training rooms. Described as an affable and sophisticated operator in the for-hire-vehicle field, Goldstein spent the 2000s as a Taxi and Limousine Commission attorney and as chief of staff to Matthew Daus, who helmed the agency. 685 Third Avenue If you think your vehicle is a luxury model but not on the list, try signing up and see if they make an exception. The Black Car Fund's disclosures to the state ethics commission, meanwhile, show an abiding interest in an array of city regulations, including the wheelchair-accessibility requirement. Black Car Fund The Black Car Fund surcharge applies on all rider fares including other surcharges, tolls, and tips. We offer a discounted rate through Student Beans for students with a valid .edu email address. The fund spokesman later said Black Car News—based in Cherry Hill, N.J.—uses the Queens space not as offices but as a distribution hub for its monthly print issue. When Uber came to New York City in 2011, the Black Car Fund took a hostile posture toward it, industry insiders recalled. Our fall 2020 Workers’ Comp Advisor is now available. The NY Congestion Surcharge is not subject to the BCF surcharge. 7 comments. Shanker's view is that either organization may lobby only on matters pertaining to its statutorily defined function: providing benefits to workers. Uber has been saying it for years. They went mainly to the Brooklyn and Staten Island Democratic organizations and to friendly state politicians including Sen. Martin Golden, then a powerful Republican from Bay Ridge. City and state lobbying records show that part of the fund's $180,000 payment to Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno last year—after the LLC's formation—was for outreach to Long Island City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer regarding approvals sought from the Board of Standards and Appeals to build at 11-02 37th Ave. State Board of Elections records list Vincent Pitta, a principal in the firm, as treasurer of the 11-02 37th Avenue LLC Political Action Committee. State campaign finance law at the time allowed limited liability companies to give far more to politicians than other corporate entities could. The LLC does not appear to have retained any legal or government affairs representative of its own. That year the 2.5% fee on rides yielded $14.2 million for the fund, disclosures to the Assembly show. "I do not believe that either the livery fund law or the black-car law provide for the ability of the fund or the discretion of the board of directors to make contributions to politicians, because I do not see how that could be necessary for the execution of the powers and duties of the fund," Shanker said. The livery fund does not own real estate, hire lobbyists or make campaign contributions, public records show. • We administer safety and health programs that benefit for-hire drivers, their passengers and other New Yorkers on the road. All rights reserved (About Us). November 12, 2020. The State of New York does not imply approval of the listed destinations, warrant the accuracy of any information set out in those destinations, or endorse any opinions expressed therein. The Black Car Fund was created by the New York state legislature in 1999 to provide workers’ compensation insurance for livery and black car drivers. “It’s a great day for New York’s hard working professional drivers,” said Brendan Sexton, executive director of Independent Drivers Guild. The fund is known as the Black Car Fund. The Black Car Fund was created by the New York state legislature in 1999 to provide workers’ compensation insurance for livery and black car drivers. Created to cover injured drivers' medical costs and lost wages, the fund tacks a fee on to every Uber, Lyft and traditional black-car fare. Attorneys consulted by Crain's said neither the statute establishing the fund nor its plan of operation empowers it to spend surcharge revenue on anything other than benefits for drivers and basic administrative costs. Hotel doormen who hail a cab or bring cars for you from the valet should be tipped between $2-5. The statute was signed … The bill was signed into law on Friday by Gov. In accordance with New York State law, a tip may incur a 3% surcharge for the Black Car Fund. More recently it testified against a City Council bill that would establish a health care and disability insurance program for all taxi and for-hire vehicle operators. New York City yellow cab drivers have workers’ compensation insurance through a different program. It also established a $50,000 death benefit. The fund is known as the Black Car Fund. For those donations to comply with state election law, they had to come from revenue generated by the LLC, not simply passed through it from the Black Car Fund or another donor. Uber Comfort is a relatively new service which provides the rider with an extra comfortable ride. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. At play in New York City is the driver’s pay, plus state sales taxes, and a 2.5% “black car fund” surcharge, which contributes to workers’ compensation and death benefits. We’ve all heard from Uber that drivers are making a ton – without tips. The Black Car Fund is a non-profit, set up by New York State to make sure New York's independent contractors who drive for the majority of New York's FHV bases are covered for workers' compensation at no cost, so they can keep working with peace of mind. The bill was signed into law on Friday by Gov. But with the fund's revenues growing faster, insiders speculated that it needed to spend more to keep the state from reducing the surcharge. The fund … I was notified about this recently via a rider. Another source suggested the fund has sought to boost the profile and credibility of the Independent Drivers Guild, an affiliate of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that represents app-hail drivers and receives funding from Uber. Did Uber say anything about adding BCF surcharge to tips recently? Because the fund's revenues come solely from the surcharge on rides and from returns on its investment of that money, its political largesse troubled ethics advocates. There are other differences in how the two parallel groups operate. It applies to all types [of corporations]: A, B, C and D.". The fund would comment for this story only through its spokesman. It fought efforts to cap for-hire-vehicle licenses and opposed language in the 2018 state budget that charged a "congestion fee" on their Manhattan rides. Instead, it only must submit an annual accounting of income and expenses to the governor and both houses of the state Legislature. To send a letter to the editor, please email a message to [email protected]. The LLC's incorporation documents list Wayne Baden, general counsel to the fund, as its contact. “New York has been the nation’s trailblazer in providing crucial benefits and protections for professional drivers, and this new law allows our state to lead the nation and expand on that success.”. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York has become the first state to provide benefits to Uber/Lyft drivers. Two other individuals identified as attorneys for the fund appeared before a meeting of Queens Community Board 1 in February 2018 to discuss construction plans for 11-02 37th Ave. Another is reaching them and communicating the benefits they’re entitled to receive. No tenant can occupy it without submitting a new application to the city, proving it has reconnected the utilities and receiving an inspection to demonstrate the structure is safe. Andrew Cuomo. In 2018, a fund launched free vision checks, glasses and telemedicine benefits to control workers’ compensation costs while increasing the safety and wellbeing of drivers, their passengers, and the public. And the car-hailing app was embraced, in part, because of it. Its counsel, Steven Shanker, said the statute that established it—nearly identical to the Black Car Fund's enabling legislation—almost certainly does not allow it. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Posted Dec 21, 2019 . 0 1 10. As Uber and Lyft have grown more prominent and popular, they have sought to avoid recognizing their drivers as employees entitled to workers' compensation and company-sponsored health insurance. The Taxi and Limousine Commission of NYC has filed a proposal that would require car-service apps that only accept credit-card payment, such as Uber, to give users the choice to tip on their card. What's your take on this? ", He added, "It's alarming. The Black Car Fund's 2017 disclosures show no earnings for the LLC but do show the fund spent $1.5 million for "costs associated with future construction on the building" and committed $425,792 more. The Black Car Fund has done neither. The name and signature of the Black Car Fund's top staff member, Goldstein, appear on property records, applications and building permits filed with the city for the parcel after the LLC assumed ownership in 2017. Via and Lyft came along in 2014, and Juno in 2016. Providing Workers' Compensation insurance to Black Car operators in the state of New York. UberBLACK is a luxury service — the exterior and interior of all cars MUST be black (including a black leather interior). That rent would be independent revenue for the LLC, which it could then legally donate to political campaigns. Andrew Cuomo, and is the first-in-the-nation portable benefits fund of its kind. Up to $90,000 a year in New York – according to numbers Uber released a few years ago (when rates were much higher than they are today). In the city's insular hired-car industry, replete with factions and agendas, the goals of the Black Car Fund are the subject of speculation among insiders. The black-car sector—mostly Town Cars—included only 16 app-based vehicles at the start of 2012. Some noted that the institutional intimacy between the Black Car Fund and the Black Car Assistance Corp. suggest the former's expenditures and activities might really serve to benefit the industry group and its traditional bases. The Black Car Fund's new headquarters will have extra space that can be leased, its spokesman said. ", But that law makes no reference to political giving, and William Josephson, a nonprofit attorney consulted by Crain's, said, "To suggest that that section authorizes political contributions is a load of crap. 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