Mechanics of Mobilization: The Making of a Taxi Workers Alliance

231 Pages·2017·0.76 MB·English

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Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations
2013
MMeecchhaanniiccss ooff MMoobbiilliizzaattiioonn:: TThhee MMaakkiinngg ooff aa TTaaxxii WWoorrkkeerrss AAlllliiaannccee
Amruta Inamdar
University of Pennsylvania, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations
Part of the Asian Studies Commons, Sociology Commons, and the South and Southeast Asian
Languages and Societies Commons
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Inamdar, Amruta, "Mechanics of Mobilization: The Making of a Taxi Workers Alliance" (2013). Publicly
Accessible Penn Dissertations. 765.
https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/765
This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/765
For more information, please contact [email protected].
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This dissertation examines the political engagement and occupational struggles of South Asian
immigrant taxi workers in an American metropolis, and their participation in a taxi workers alliance.
Contrary to popular understandings of South Asian immigrants as a model minority --- politically passive
and economically successful professionals --- these South Asian immigrant taxi workers often struggle to
make ends meet, and are actively involved in both leadership positions of their workers alliance as well as
the rank and file. Further, their political engagements and their creative strategies to survive, maximize
income, and achieve upward mobility show how poorer immigrants in non-professional occupations
cannot be viewed simplistically as victims of structural exploitation. Using primary data (interviews with
stakeholders in the taxicab industry) and secondary data (legislative records, Census data, newspaper
archives), this study explores if, how and why immigrant workers chose to participate in this political
mobilization. It recognizes three important factors that enabled the successful mobilization of this
occupational group. Firstly, immigrant organizers used their social networks and ethnic ties to influence
immigrant drivers' decisions to participate in alliance activities; these ties variously enabled and
constrained their participation. Secondly, non-profit organizations assisted the fledgling alliance with
logistics and strategizing. Thirdly, national unions have been growing more receptive to nontraditional
labor organizing, and provided institutional support to taxi worker organizations across cities in the United
States.
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Dissertation
DDeeggrreeee NNaammee
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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South Asia Regional Studies
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Kathleen D. Hall
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labor mobilization, model minority, non-professional immigrants, political participation, social networks
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Asian Studies | Sociology | South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies
This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/765
MECHANICS OF MOBILIZATION: THE MAKING OF A TAXI WORKERS ALLIANCE

Amruta A. Inamdar

A DISSERTATION
in
South Asia Regional Studies
Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania
in
Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
2013

Supervisor of Dissertation
_____________________
Kathleen D. Hall
Associate Professor

Graduate Group Chairperson
_______________________
Lisa Mitchell, Associate Professor

Dissertation Committee
Lisa Mitchell, Associate Professor
Domenic Vitiello, Assistant Professor
MECHANICS OF MOBILIZATION: THE MAKING OF A TAXI WORKERS ALLIANCE

COPYRIGHT
2013

AMRUTA A. INAMDAR
For Aai and Baba.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My sincere thanks to all who made this dissertation possible. To the taxi workers
who graciously shared their stories with me. To my advisor, Kathy Hall, for her
intellectual guidance and immense kindness. To my committee members, Lisa Mitchell
and Domenic Vitiello, for their invaluable help. To the volunteers, organizers and non-
profit professionals for sharing their expertise on immigration, political mobilization, and
advocacy. To various programs and departments at the University of Pennsylvania, in
particular South Asia Studies and Penn Institute for Urban Research, for their assistance
with research, funding, and writing. To all those who made Philadelphia a second home,
especially: Erin Moore, James Caron, Jeremy Spohr, Ksenia Gorbenko, Richard
Salvatore, Rubab Qureshi, Shinn Ko, and Toby Harke. To Ruchi Brahmachari and
Lakshmi Kutty for their friendship, wit and perspectives. And most of all to my partner,
Satyajit Ambike, and my family, Amol, Anjali, and Anand Inamdar. I am grateful for
your thoughtfulness, enriched by your intelligence and humor and warmth, and
overwhelmed by your steadfast support and your faith in me. Thank you, all.

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ABSTRACT

MECHANICS OF MOBILIZATION: THE MAKING OF A TAXI WORKERS ALLIANCE
Amruta A. Inamdar
Kathleen D. Hall

This dissertation examines the political engagement and occupational struggles of
South Asian immigrant taxi workers in an American metropolis, and their participation in
a taxi workers alliance. Contrary to popular understandings of South Asian immigrants as
a model minority --- politically passive and economically successful professionals ---
these South Asian immigrant taxi workers often struggle to make ends meet, and are
actively involved in both leadership positions of their workers alliance as well as the rank
and file. Further, their political engagements and their creative strategies to survive,
maximize income, and achieve upward mobility show how poorer immigrants in non-
professional occupations cannot be viewed simplistically as victims of structural
exploitation. Using primary data (interviews with stakeholders in the taxicab industry)
and secondary data (legislative records, Census data, newspaper archives), this study
explores if, how and why immigrant workers chose to participate in this political
mobilization. It recognizes three important factors that enabled the successful
mobilization of this occupational group. Firstly, immigrant organizers used their social
networks and ethnic ties to influence immigrant drivers’ decisions to participate in
alliance activities; these ties variously enabled and constrained their participation.
Secondly, non-profit organizations assisted the fledgling alliance with logistics and
v
strategizing. Thirdly, national unions have been growing more receptive to nontraditional
labor organizing, and provided institutional support to taxi worker organizations across
cities in the United States.

vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................... IV 
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. V 
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... IX 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS................................................................................................... X 
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................. 1 
Research problem and objectives ........................................................................................................ 2 
History of South Asian immigrants in North America ........................................................................ 6 
Literature review ................................................................................................................................ 15 
Analytical framework ......................................................................................................................... 26 
Research methodology ........................................................................................................................ 32 
CHAPTER 2 – THE TAXICAB INDUSTRY ................................................................... 52 
The history and structure of the taxicab industry .............................................................................. 53 
The taxicab industry in Philadelphia .................................................................................................. 59 
The current medallion system ............................................................................................................ 64 
The medallion taxicab driver as an independent contractor .............................................................. 83 
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 93 
CHAPTER 3 – TAXI WORKERS IN PHILADELPHIA .............................................. 95 
The internal structure of the taxicab industry .................................................................................... 97 
South Asian immigrant drivers in the United States ........................................................................ 100 
South Asian immigrant drivers in Philadelphia ............................................................................... 102 
South Asian drivers’ interactions with other ethnic and racial groups ............................................. 124 
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Role of immigrant social networks ................................................................................................... 133 
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 138 
CHAPTER 4 – THE DEVELOPMENT OF TAXI WORKERS ALLIANCES ..... 140 
Political activity in the taxicab industry ........................................................................................... 143 
Issues tackled by the taxi workers alliances ...................................................................................... 152 
Taxi worker organizations’ use of social networks to reach out to immigrant drivers ..................... 158 
Immigrant involvement in taxi workers’ alliances ........................................................................... 171 
Role of non-profit organizations: Resources and rhetoric ................................................................ 179 
Social networks: Conflicts and collaborations .................................................................................. 183 
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 189 
CHAPTER 5 – SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ...................................................... 194 
The taxicab industry and South Asian immigrant drivers ............................................................... 195 
Mechanics of mobilization: Social networks, non-profit organizations, and the historical context .. 200 
Merits and limitations of the present study and avenues for further research ................................. 205 
APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................. 207 
Interview guides ............................................................................................................................... 207 
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................. 210 

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