A group of drivers is planning to appear this morning outside the city's administrative hearings building in River North to draw attention to the "unjust system that denies due process to taxi cab drivers cited for code violations," according to a news release from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, which is trying to organize cabbies.



Cabbies have complained that the time they spend in court fighting various citations makes it even tougher for them to make a decent wage.



But Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration last week released its own study that found the average cabdriver makes $33,857 a year after expenses like cab leases, gasoline and credit card processing charges.



Today's protest comes as cabbies continue to speak out against the Emanuel-backed rules passed by the City Council in May to regulate ride-sharing companies like Uber.



The package requires driver training, background checks and vehicle inspections, and tougher licensing and insurance requirements for the ride-sharing industry, in which drivers use their private vehicles to give rides to people who request them through online apps. It also prohibits ride-share drivers from picking up passengers at the city's airports and McCormick Place.



Cabdrivers say the city rules don't go far enough to level the regulatory playing field, while Emanuel has hailed the Chicago ordinance as an important step.



Gov. Pat Quinn recently vetoed statewide ride-sharing rules passed by the General Assembly, a move Emanuel applauded.



jebyrne@tribpub.com