Vegas Cabbies Arrested Following Protest At Convention Center

A small group of Las Vegas cabbies were arrested following a protest outside of an area convention center.

Authorities stated that 14 cab drivers were taken into custody near the Las Vegas Convention Center on Tuesday.

The Vegas cabbies were arrested while protesting outside of the National Association of Broadcasters convention. Officers said that 12 people were taken in for failing to obey traffic signals, one for walking in the middle of a roadway, and one for traffic disobedience.

The cabbies decided to protest outside of the convention center in hopes that people would take notice of their cause. The Las Vegas cab drivers said they are looking for better working conditions and a much more competitive wage.

“We’re the ambassador of the city, as they call us, because we’re the first ones to greet the conventioneers and the tourists. How come nobody is hearing us right now? So we need to raise our voices and let the people hear us,” Ermias Aboye told FOX5.

Union officials explained that the 400 Vegas cabbies were not breaking the law when the arrests occurred. Many of those in attendance used bullhorns and various noise makers to get the attention of those attending the National Association of Broadcasters convention.

Metro Captain Todd Fasulo said the majority of the protesters were not obeying traffic signals at crosswalks. He said some people would walk into the middle of traffic in an effort to get the attention of drivers.

“What they specifically do is when they go to cross the street, they will wait, and the light will turn red, and then they still go out into the street in an attempt to stand in front of certain vehicles and conduct their protest,” Fasulo explained.

No arrests were made at the convention center on Wednesday. The drivers said they did not intend to continue their protest at this location on Thursday.

Drivers at Yellow Checker Star Transportation have been on strike for several weeks. Many were very upset when officials from United Steelworkers Union approved the current contract without putting it to a member vote. Many employees plan to strike until a new deal is reached.

What do you think about the Las Vegas cabbies who were arrested during the protest?

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