Las Vegas Taxi Driver Blog and Forum

Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, the original Vegas Bookie, died today at his Florida home.

The movie ”Casino” brought Rosenthal’s story to life for everyone outside of Las Vegas. Here in town, Rosenthal was a pioneer of sports gambling. He helped run a number of Las Vegas casinos that were reported to have connections with the mob. The most famous casino Rosenthal was involved with was the Stardust.

It was 1982 when someone rigged Rosenthal’s car with explosives. Somehow he survived, but in 1988 his luck ran out in Las Vegas. This too was used as a scene in the movie, “Casino”.

Rosenthal made the Nevada Gaming Commission black list and thus moved to Florida where he started a new, and much safer era, doing radio talk shows and hosting websites.

Here is a video of that time period in Las Vegas History and information about

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Don’t get Long hauled on your next trip to Las Vegas.

Nothing sours a Las Vegas visit quite as much as finding out later you were taken the long-way from the airport to your hotel. Your honest cabbie makes you aware of this injustice when they pull-up to your departure desk and the taxi meter reads between $10 and $20 LESS than you paid when you arrived 3 days earlier. “Damn that asshole 3 days ago really took me for a fool!” you say to yourself.

Here’s how to end this common practice by many Las Vegas cabbies working the McCarran Airport. Do not rely upon Law Enforcement to help, they look the other way on this issue.

The map below shows you the most direct, and thus correct way, a cabbie should take to the Strip. In this case we use the WYNN Hotel, but this basic route applies to all Strip Hotels.

 

If your cabbie exits the Airport without asking if you want to go the long-way (normally called the quickest way-not true), goes thru a tunnel and ends-up on the Interstate, you are being cheated…long hauled. That cabbie is making a loop around the airport which runs-up the meter at least $10 beyond what it would be if they had taken the direct route (city streets).

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RJ Letters to Editor

source link: RJ Letters to Editor

Dear Editor,

The Taxicab Authority, whose responsibility is to protect the interests of the general public, has once again proven that the only interests they are interested in protecting are those of the 16 existing cab companies. At the June meeting the TA Board approved a 25 cents per mile fuel surcharge on top of a 20 cents per mile permanent increase. Taxi fares went from $2.20 per mile to $2.65 per mile. At the time this was reasonable as gasoline was approaching $4.25 per gallon. In the order issued by the TA Board the TA Administrator, Mr. Gordon Walker, was given authority to remove the fuel surcharge if gasoline prices fell below $4.00 for 20 consecutive days. On or about July 28 the price of gasoline fell below $4.00 per gallon and has steadily fallen to where it is now at $3.50 per gallon. We are now at 60 days below $4.00 per gallon and Mr. Walker, at the request of the cab companies, has not yet removed the fuel surcharge.

Governor Gibbons has been adamant about no new taxes since taking office and during the current and ongoing state budget crisis.The Governor has vowed to veto any bill that raises taxes on businesses or individuals in these tough economic times. So where does the Governor stand on this ongoing fleecing of the public for the benefit of the existing cab companies? If the Governor has any integrity, he will fire Mr. Walker and appoint an administrator that will not bend over backwards to fulfill the wishes of the cab companies. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen, as 12 of the existing cab companies donated from $5,000 - $10,000 to the Governor’s 2006 election campaign. Will Gov. Gibbons look out for the interests of the public or his friends with deep pockets?

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Barack Obama to visit Las Vegas

Please join us Wednesday, September 17th, for a rally with Barack Obama in Las Vegas, Nevada:

Change We Need Rally
with Barack Obama

The Baseball Stadium at Cashman Center
850 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Las Vegas

Wednesday, September 17th
Doors Open: 2:30 p.m.
Program Begins: 5:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required but an RSVP is encouraged. Space is available on a first come, first served basis. Please RSVP using the form to the right.

For security reasons, do not bring bags and please limit personal items. No signs or banners permitted.

Barrack Obama for President 2008 Nevada

Obama interviewed for YouTube about Tech Issues

With the passage of the Constitutional Amendment changing Nevada’s minimum wage law, Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek announced changes in requirements for minimum wage and overtime affecting Nevada employers.

“With the new law going into effect on November 28th, it is essential to get information concerning the changes out to employers as soon as possible,” Tanchek said.

The amendment sets up a two-tiered minimum wage system for Nevada. Employer’s who make a qualified health insurance plan available to their employees can pay a minimum wage of $5 .15 per hour.

Employers who don’t make a qualified plan available will have to pay at least $6.15 per hour. A qualified plan has to provide coverage for the employees and their dependents and the cost to the employee cannot exceed 10% of the employees gross taxable income.

The amendment increases the number of employees who are entitled to be paid minimum wage. According to Tanchek, the only exemption allowed under the new amendment is for employees who are under the age of eighteen who are employed by nonprofit organizations for after school or summer employment or employed as trainees for a period not longer than 90 days. Employers who hire employees who were previously exempt under the statutes will need to make the necessary payroll adjustments. Domestic service employees, outside salespersons, agricultural employees, taxicab and limousine drivers, and casual baby sitters will no longer be exempt from the minimum wage. In addition, the special minimum wage for severely handicapped persons with certificates issued by the Rehabilitation Division of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation was not included among the exemptions.

“While that amendment didn’t set any minimum wage for the after school, summer employment, or trainee exemption, the federal government does have such a rate and employers will still need to follow the federal guidelines for those employees,” Tanchek said.

Another significant change resulting from the new amendment is to increase the coverage of Nevada’s daily overtime requirement. Employee’s who are paid less than one and a half times the minimum wage must be paid overtime when they work more than eight hours in a work day.

Employees who are offered a qualifying health insurance plan will be entitled to daily overtime if they make $7.725 or less per hour. However, employees who are not offered a qualifying plan will have to be paid overtime on a daily basis if their hourly rate is less than $9.225 per hour.

“Now that the minimum wage is set by the people under the Constitution rather than the Labor Commissioner under the statutes, we need to follow the Constitution,” Tanchek said.

For more information, log on to www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS- 608.html

This article was originally published in the December 2006 edition of the Las vegas Taxicab trade magazine “Trip Sheet”.