The New York Taxi Workers Alliance is calling on the city to pay approximately 20,000 taxi drivers whose taxi licenses were unfairly suspended. 

The drivers mostly are those who were arrested at some point, with the majority of arrests for minor offenses, according to the union.  In response, they had their taxi licenses automatically suspended by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, regardless of if the driver was criminally charged or cleared quickly, says the union.  

Drivers were often unable to work following their license suspensions, and in some cases it took drivers several years before getting back their licenses. 

A federal judge ruled that 20,000 drivers had their licenses suspended unconstitutionally since 2003. The Taxi and Limousine Commission has since modified its rules, but drivers say those suspensions impacted their livelihoods in a way that needs compensation.  

Those drivers are now signing up for a hearing to determine how much money they can receive from the city. So far, a little over 25% of the drivers have signed up. The deadline for these drivers is Jan. 13.