http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Fernando+Mateo.&gwp=13

If you just read his bio and the list of the company he keeps, it's not a reach to say he's an opportunistic advocate for whomever is in charge. Lap dog comes to mind.

I've heard commentary that he also grossly exaggerates the number of drivers he represents.

As for your question regarding his role as a "union" personalty, look at what he says and you'll see his "union" persona is a scam at best. Mostly he says nothing but "there will be no strike" without citing any of the issues- he sounds like Mayor Bloomberg. I haven't heard him once discuss the concerns and there are very real concerns.

I don't know if anyone remembers how irritating those god awful recordings used to be. The ones with celebrity voice overs talking about seat belts. It was tortuous as a passenger. The driver had to hear that all day long.

Anyone that doesn't support the drivers should be ashamed of themselves, because this time it's worse for passengers. Bloomberg wants to install monitors to bombard you with commericials during your entire trip. Maybe if he was paying for my trip I'd consider it, but I'm paying and I just want to get there in peace. Also the monitrs heat up the seats for the driver - real nice in the NY summer. They also have to kick back to the credit card companies, they have to pay for the cost of the machine and their privacy is invaded to boot.

Trust me my fellow New Yorkers, because it seems that most are not connecting the dots these days, that "cost" will be passed onto us. Cab rides are high as it is. But like everything else Bloomberg's has done - it's double the cost for the same service, but add some insult for good measure- in this case non stop, in your face, commercials for the whole trip.

Oh and for those that are just longing to pay your cab fare with your credit card, yeah you the same one that debits a candy bar and ties up the whole line for ten minutes. I have no sympathy. If you HAVE to finance a cab ride, maybe you should think about the subway or get your mom to send you cash instead of filling your card.

-NY Native

Trust me my fellow New Yorkers, because it seems that most are not connecting the dots these days, that "cost" will be passed onto us. Cab rides are high as it is.

I'm not saying that I think the monitors are a good thing, but as far as this point is concerned, the "cost" has already been passed on to us. The last taxi rate hike was approved specifically as part of a deal with the taxi owners to install the monitors. They've gotten their increased fares for over 6 months now (the increase was for the stated purpose of paying for the new equipment) and now they want to back out of their half of the bargain.

Personally, I'd rather have no monitors and the old, lower, fares, but I don't think that's an option.

just read Juan Gonzalez in todays Daily News-he lays out many things wrong with the GPS & puts Mateo in context
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/col/gonzalez/index.html

The Fernando Mateo's New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers is made up mostly of livery drivers and has a history of scabbing on strikes. During the TWU strike in December of 2005, Mateo geared up to take on more passengers while the Taxi Workers Alliance refused. Shows which side they're on.