Building a university-worker partnership to address occupational health and safety concerns among taxi workers in Los Angeles

Since 2008, the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (UCLA-LOSH) has collaborated with the Los Angeles Taxi Worker Alliance (LATWA) to address work-related health and safety concerns among taxi workers in Los Angeles. LATWA is a worker-led association that organizes for the dignity, respect and rights of LA taxi workers, an ethnically diverse and predominantly immigrant workforce. There are an estimated 2,300 licensed taxicabs in the city of Los Angeles, and while prior research studies have highlighted difficult working conditions for drivers, few have involved workers in prioritizing problems and identifying solutions. This paper highlights the accomplishments of this unique university-worker partnership. We describe efforts by UCLA-LOSH, student interns and LATWA Health and Safety Committee representatives to identify health and safety concerns through focus groups, interviews, and hazard mapping activities. We also describe the role of each partner in organizing the first-ever health fair for LA taxi workers. The health fair served as an important venue for LATWA to conduct outreach while meeting the basic healthcare needs of its members. A questionnaire administered during the event indicates that workers suffer from long work hours and difficult job conditions; work-related injuries and health problems; physical and verbal abuse; and lack of access to restrooms while on the job. We present results from our collaborative work and next steps to improve taxi driver conditions. We also discuss lessons learned from this partnership and consider the relevance of this collaborative model for addressing health and safety concerns among other worker populations.