SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE AND ADJUSTMENT IN A SAMPLE OFNEW YORK CITY TAXI DRIVERS

187 Pages·07.863 MB·English

by  MORRIS, CHARLES NEWTON

A DIGEST OP
SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE AND ADJUSTMENT
IN A
SAMPLE OF NEW YORK CITY TAXI DRIVERS
W
Charles N« Morris
This dissertation has been approved for final examination by
the student's Dissertation Coiranittee whose written approval
is on file in the Advanced School.
Dissertation Committee:
Donald Super, Chairman
Eli Ginzberg, Member of Committee
Albert Thompson, Member of Committee
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in the Faculty of Philosophy, Columbia University
1951
/.
71
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to express my gratitude to the following persons who
have helped make this study possible: Professor Donald Super, for
helpful suggestions and continuing encouragement from the earliest
stages of the studyj Professor Eli Ginzberg, committee member, whose
own investigations largely stimulated the present study, for paving
the way for a large block of interviews and for his suggestions on
making maximal use of the interview material; Professor Harold Clark,
a committee member early in the study, and Professor Albert Thompson,
who accepted committee membership in Dr. Clark's absence from the
University.
To Harry Beilin and Jay Davis, fellow students, for acting as
judges; Adel Tackley, who twice typed the manuscript, and June Johnson,
who typed the Appendix; my wife, who assisted with the tabulations and
shared the many trials of data collection and report writing with me.
To Harold DeWolfe, Joseph Kettell, Patrick Coleman and other
officials of the taxi industry, for their active help in introducing
the writer to drivers and for their encouragement; and to the many
New York taxi drivers who were willing to give interview time to a
stranger, the purpose of whose study frequently was somewhat vague to
them.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. THE SETTING OF THE STUDY: TAXI DRIVING IN NEW
YORK CITY 1
The Scope and Nature of the Industry: an Intro
duction • 1
Recent changes in taxi driving 3
Becoming a Taxi Driver. . . . 4
Obtaining the hack license . . . . .. 4
Obtaining a job. 5
The loss of one's job 6
Becoming an independent . . « • •• 6
Sources of Income __ .8
Institutions within Taxi Driving 13
The Hack Bureau 13
The taxi garage. . 15
The shape-up 16
Unionization . • 18
Associations of independents . 21
Eating places . . . . . . . . . .. 22
Unique Features of Taxi Driving in New York City • 23
II, RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL
CONSIDERATIONS 27
Introduction . . . . . . . . .. .*•• 27
Approaches to Research in the Area of Occupational
Choice and Adjustment . . . . . .. • 29
Definitions of occupational choice and occupa
tional adjustment 36
Methodological considerations 37
Description of the Study. . . . .. 39
Summary . . . .. . . . . .. 42
Assumptions. . . . . .. 43
Purposes 43
III. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STUDY: SAMPLING CONSIDERATIONS
AND TECHNIQUES OF DATA ANALYSIS 45
The Selection of an Occupational Group for the
Study . 45
Sampling. 45
Description of the sample. •• 48
The Interview 53
Treatment of the Data 56
The interview record 56
Analysis of the interview records 56
Selection of driver remarks for analysis . . .. 57
iii
TAELE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)
Chapter Page
III* Reliability of the selection technique • •• 58
Categorization of driver statements . . ». 61
Reliability of the assignment of statements to
categories . . . . . . . . .. 66
The selection of sub-groups » 67
Reporting the content analysis 69
IV. ANALYSIS OP STATEMENTS: TIE TOTAL GROUP 72
Incidence by Category of Class 1 and Class 2 Statements • 72
Locus of Class 2 Statements . . 76
s
Favorableness of Class 2 Statements 78
The Drivers' Perception of -the Advantages and Disadvantages
of Taxi Driving as an Occupation . . 80
Expressed Intentions of Drivers to Remain in or Leave
Taxi Driving 81 A
V. ANALYSIS OF STATEENTS: SUB-GROUPS 82
Independent vs. Fleet Driver Sub-Groups . . . . . . . . .. 82
Age Sub-groups 86
Career-pattern Sub-groups 91
VI. ANALYSIS ACCOTDIITC- TO PERCENTAGE Oi? DRIVERS "AKINO CLASS 1
AND CLASS 2 STATE'ENTS BY CATEGORY: THE TOTAL GROUP AND
SUB-GROUPS 99
VII. SUMTARY AID DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS Ill
Summary of Findings • 112
Interpretation of Findings . . . . . .. 118
Relation of Findings to other Studies * 127
Davis 128
Strong 129
Reynolds and Shister 130
Ginzberg, Ginsburg, Axelrad, and Henna . . . . . . » •• 132
VIII. THE STUDY SUK'ARIZED: A SUBJECTIVE CO.'HEHTAJff AND SUGGESTIONS
FOR FURTHJR RESEARCH 137
Summary of the Study 13?
Subjective Impressions of the Process of Occupational
Choice and Adjustment based on the Interview Protocols .. 142
Occupational choice and adjustment for the inter
viewed sample . . .. . . . . . .. 143
Some General Comments on Occupational Choice and
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. 144
Methodological suggestions for research in the area
of occupational choice and adjustment . 148
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)
Chapter Page
VIII* Research topics "within the area of occupational choice
and adjustment 249
Hypotheses in the framework of ihe present study . . . .. 150
APPENDIX A 151
APPENDIX B 153
APPENDIX C 157
BIBLIOGRAPHY 176
v
LIST OF TABLES
Table Pago
1 a Source, by Company, of Sample of New York City
Taxi Drivers . 50
1 b Age Distribution of Interviewed Sample . . . . . .. 51
1 c Years of Taxi Driving for Interviewed Sample « . .. 51
1 d Years of Schooling for Interviewed Sample . . . . • 52
1 e Marital Status of Interviewed Sample . . . . . . .. 52
1 f Number of Children for Married and Previously Married
Drivers • 53
2 a Agreement between Judges in Statement Selection (15
Interviews) . . . . 58
2 b Agreement between Judges in Statement Seleotion:
15 Interviews (remarks counted as two or three
statementsby one judge, as one by the other,
considered as agreed upon) • 59
2 c Agreement between Judges in Statement Selection:
15 Interviews (Table 2b amended t<-> count as
agreed upon statements for which concurrence was
achieved after independent selection of statements) • 60
3 Number and Percent of Class 1 and Class 2 Statements
by Category: Total Group 73
4 Locus of Class 2 Statements . .. . . . .. 77
5 Favorableness of Class 2 Statements According to
Locus of Statements 78
6. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Taxi Driving in
New York City 81
7 Number and Percent of Class 1 Statements by Category:
Independent vs. Fleet Driver 83
8 Number and Percent of Class 2 Statements by Category:
Independent vs. Fleet Driver . 84
9 Percent of Selected Class 1 Statements by Category
According to Age at which Change of Job Occurred. . . 87
vi
LIST OF TABLES (Cont.)
Table Page
10. Percent of Class 2 Statements by Category: Age Sub-groups • 88
11. Percent of Class 1 Statenonts by Category: Career Pattern
Sub-groups 92
12. Percent of Class 2 Statements by Category: Career Pattern
Sub-groups 93
13. Number and Percent of Drivers Making Class 1 and Class 2
Statements by Category: Total Group . . . . .. 104
14. Number and Percent of Drivers I'aking Class 1 Statements
by Category: Independents vs. Fleet Drivers » 105
15. Number and Percent of Drivers I'aking Class 2 Statements
by Category: Independent vs. Fleet Drivers . • . 106
16. Percent of Drivers Making Class 1 Statements by Category:
Age Sub-groups 107
17. Percent of Drivers I'aking Class 2 Statements by Category:
Age sub-Groups 108
18. Percent of Drivers I'aking Class 1 Statements by Category:
Career Pattern Sub-Groups . . . . . . .. 109
19. Percent of Drivers Waking Class 2 Statements by Category:
Career Pattern Sub-Croups . . . . . . .. •• 110
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I
CHAPTER I
THE SETTING OP THE STUDY: TAXI DRIVING IN NEW YORK CITY
The Scope and Nature of the Industry: an Introduction
In a study dealing with attitudes toward work, a description
of the occupation of the subjects of the study should facilitate
understanding of the attitudes expressed. This description of
taxi driving in New York City is based largely on impressions
formed in the course of visits to taxi garages, talks with several
officials in the taxi industry, and interviews with 72 drivers.
Gradually, the writer became aware of the uniqueness of several
features of the occupation. "While these unique features will be made
explioit insofar as possible, their role in the subjects' choice of
taxi driving as an occupation and in their subsequent adjustment
to it cannot adequately be assessed.
According to the Hack Bureau of the New York City Police
Department, nearly 12,000 taxis are in service in New York City. Of
these, approximately 5,000 are owned by individuals who own no
other cab, while slightly fewer than 7,000 are fleet owned. Two or
more cabs owned by an individual, a group of individuals, or a corpora
tion constitute a fleet. There are over 400 taxi fleets in the city,
ranging in size from two cabs to about 1600 cabs. Some 35,000 persons
are licensed as hack drivers, of whom 5,000 are independents (owners
of the cab they drive) and 30,000 are fleet drivers.
2
Except in certain sections of Queens, it is not possible to
telephone for a cab. No taxis available for hire remain at the
garage, nor are there any radio cabs in the city. At any given
moment, all taxis which have been dispatched are carrying passengers,
cruising in search of passengers, parked in hack stands designated
by the Police Department, or waiting in line at railroad stations,
airports, or ship piers. Once dispatched, then, the fleet driver
is out of oontact with the garage until the completion of his shift,
except in case of accident or breakdown. A driver may solicit pass
engers in any part of the city he chooses, with one exception: one
fleet has the taxi concession at the two principal railroad stations.
At present, no other concessions exist, though there have been addi
tional concessions in the past (e.g. certain ship piers). Though
there are no concessions at the two New York City airports, the
Port Authority has set a twenty-five cent fee for entering the hack
lines at the airports.
A fleet owned cab is dispatched twice daily: between 6:00
and 7:30 a.m. and between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m. Day drivers ordinarily
must return to the garage between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m., while night
drivers may return to the garage between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. Drivers
may be steady drivers, steady extras, or extras. A steady driver is
one who drives the same cab each day and receives another cab "when
his is being repaired. A steady extra works every day (five or six
days, ordinarily) but does not drive the same cab eaoh day. His time
of departure from the garage is often somewhat irregular; he may
3
depart early, when repairs on a cab are completed at other than
shift hours; or he may depart late, since the driver who knows that >.
his cab will not be taken out by a steady driver feels less res
ponsibility for returning to the garage in the early portion of
shift time. An extra is assigned a cab only when steady drivers and
steady extras have been dispatched. 'If a new hackman, he may look
forward to later steady employment. Often, however, the extra is
a veteran hackman who is not considered sufficiently reliable for
steady employment, or he may even be a driver who prefers irregular
employment.
Recent changes in taxi driving
According to drivers and company officials, the complexion
of taxi driving has changed considerably in the past 10 or 15
years» The "closed line" no longer exists. As recently as the late
depression years, most hack lines at leading hotels, theatres, and
other major gathering points for passengers were controlled by an
informal in-group to which a newcomer was ordinarily not welcome.
Simple explanation that the line was a closed one failing, tactics
for convincing a newcomer that he was unwelcome might include beat
ings, letting air out of tires, and freezing the intruder in line
by having the cabs at his front and rear remain motionless as the
line moved ahead and around them.
Formerly, it was an accepted praotice among taxi drivers to
act as guides to visitors to the tenderloin district or even to
function rather directly as procurers. This association of taxi