Thousands of steelworkers lined the Las Vegas Strip Tuesday morning in support of union taxi cab drivers.

Protestors showed up on the sidewalk between the Paris-Las Vegas and Bally's hotel-casinos around 7 a.m. The steelworkers are attending a convention at the Paris.

The rally comes a little over a week after the Nevada Taxicab Authority raised cab rates and allowed a new fuel surcharge for drivers.

“I thank the steelworkers for this. This is a great boost fo our morale and hopefully this will help our union in our struggle,” said Sam Moffitt, cab driver.

Protest organizers say the Las Vegas Alliance for Taxi and Limousine Drivers represents nearly 5,000 drivers in two union locals.

While the protestors made their voices heard, there was a moment of quiet when the union president spoke.

“I would say on average, they don't make enough to feed their families and live in dignity, that's the issue,” said Leo Gerard, Steel Workers President.

On average, cab drivers make $25,000 to $30,000. Gerard says the union has been trying to get a new contract since December. He says if an agreement couldn't be reached soon, he would recommend a cab driver strike.

They say contract issues include wages, hours, and layoffs of union drivers. About 2,200 drivers at Yellow, Checker and Star cabs are covered by an Industrial Technical Professional Employees Union.

Meanwhile, the United Steelworkers Union represents about 2,800 drivers at seven other cab companies who have contracts expiring next year.

(Associated Press contributed to this report)

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