Taxicab drivers in San Francisco have been represented under a variety of different unions and labor organizations since 1904. Many drivers lease their cabs and their permits from a parent taxi company, such as Yellow Cab and Luxor, which has led to drivers often being classified as contractors, not employees and denied benefits as a result.

Taxi services are provided under the licensure of taxi medallions (transferable permits known as a Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience). Medallions, awarded by the city government, historically controlled the number of taxis in operation in the city at one time. Until 2010, these medallions were granted for free to taxi drivers based on seniority. Owning a taxi medallion was considered a major asset and ensured that their owner a steady income, either through operating a taxi and receiving higher wages or by leasing out the medallion to another driver.

The San Francisco Taxicab Drivers Alliance was co-founded in 1984 by Rauch Graffis in protest over a city attempt to add 100 more cabs to San Francisco, which would jeopardize the livelihood of the existing drivers.

This Alliance, understaffed by overworked organizers, ceased to exist in the 1980s and became the United Taxicab Workers (UTW), which organized taxi drivers in San Francisco under the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9410. UTW was blocked from filing union elections when the National Labor Relations Board ruled that taxi drivers were contractors and not regular employees. The United Taxicab Workers, operating out of the Redstone Labor Temple in San Francisco, offered cab drivers advice, assistance, and legal referrals when cab companies attempted to deny drivers workers' compensation, unemployment or other benefits. At its height, the UTW had hundreds of members representing all of San Francisco's major cab garages, and many smaller companies as well.

In 2010, as a response to the economic recession, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom began charging money (up to $250,000) for taxi medallions and taxicab drivers began taking out large loans to purchase them. The taxicab industry was disrupted in 2011 when venture capital-backed rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft began providing a similar service to taxicabs but without the regulation and worker protections offered in a more established industry.

These rideshare companies undercut the taxi drivers and eroded the stability of the profession. Now taxi drivers are saddled with debt, often unable to make enough from their taxi business to pay off their medallion loans.

In response to this crisis for the taxi industry, UTW and the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association joined forces in 2014 to create the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance (STWA) under the National Taxi Workers Alliance (AFL-CIO). The SFTWA, representing 500 taxi drivers, is the first formal union of taxicab drivers to exist in San Francisco for 50 years. The intention of the SFTWA was to create a united front of taxi workers to re-invigorate the profession, improve working conditions, and protect fair business practices.

For a more in-depth history of the taxi industry in 20th century San Francisco, visit https://www.taxi-library.org/history.htm