Perhaps to the chagrin of Halloween partygoers, the District's much-needed cab drivers intended to strike from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and we at The Eagle don't blame them.
Although we stated in our Sept. 20 editorial that the District was long overdue for a cab fare overhaul, we did not exactly advocate a solution involving a mayoral order. True, we did support the time and distance meters the drivers now protest - and we still do - but we also expected the D.C. government to work with the Taxicab Commission and local residents when formulating it.
Worse, all of our efforts were in the name of fairness and transparency. As much as we desired a fare system that kept our needs, interests and wallets in mind, we assumed that any solution to our woes would be equally considerate of cab drivers.
But when Mayor Adrian Fenty commanded the D.C. Taxicab Commission to change their meter system earlier this month, we grew concerned that not all sides had been represented. The taxi drivers' protests later confirmed our suspicions, considering how many drivers decided to strike on one of the most profitable nights of the year.
If there was anyone to shake your fist at for being stranded in the city last night, it was certainly not the cab drivers. They did what any other group of workers would do when faced with injustice; they organized and expressed their dissatisfaction. Instead, direct your anguish at D.C. government officials and Mayor Fenty for acting so unilaterally. They committed the real injustice.
