strike | Horse Racing Free Tips

Olympic Sport Loses Riding As Facet Of Competition

Horseback riding will be removed from the modern pentathlon discipline at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, according to ESPN. A suitable replacement for the jumping portion of the sport is being investigated by the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM). Modern pentathlon competition includes cross-country running, fencing, pistol shooting, show jumping and swimming.

The removal of riding from pentathlon was spurred by widespread criticism of equine welfare during the 2021 Tokyo Games, when German coach Kim Raisner hit competitor Annika Schleu's horse when it refused to jump. Though the UIPM had committed to reviewing and protecting horseback riding as a component of pentathlon, a meeting of the UIPM Innovation Commission after the event resulted in recommendations to remove riding from the competition.

Raisner was disqualified from coaching the men's event at Tokyo.

Churchill Employees Union Threatening Derby Day Strike

Local 541, the racetrack employees union that includes Churchill Downs valets, has threatened this week to strike over a wage and contract dispute.

A press release sent on behalf of the group Friday said that, “With less than 24 hours until the 147th Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs Incorporated failed to attend a meeting early this morning to, once and for all, finalize a contract with its valets and avoid major disruptions at the Derby. The governor and mediator were notified of the meeting last night; even still, the valets were once [again] met with radio silence by their employer.”

The Greater Louisville Central Labor Council was expected to take part in a leafleting action Friday afternoon to “preview a potential Derby with valets and parimutuels on strike.”

A statement attributed to valet Ron Shelton was issued later in the day Friday: “Churchill Downs' offer to meet next week is unacceptable and insulting, especially when they canceled our last meeting abruptly and refused to acknowledge our offer to finalize a deal. The biggest day of the year is tomorrow, and Churchill Downs is suggesting we work under a substandard contract so they can drive up their profits.

Churchill Downs made over a billion dollars last year and paid its CEO over $10 million–it is the poster child for corporate greed. Since November, we have been waiting patiently for Churchill Downs to meet our request for a fair contract that allows us to take care of ourselves and our families. Our patience for excuses is wearing thin because we know Churchill Downs could pay us fairly in a second without feeling even the slightest pinch.

There is no need to delay or threaten the Derby, and it's on Churchill Downs to stop the insulting delay tactics and agree to a fair contract.”

The post Churchill Employees Union Threatening Derby Day Strike appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Churchill Fails To Show Up At Contract Meeting With Valets; Strike On Derby Day A Possibility

With less than 24 hours until the 147th Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs Incorporated failed to attend a meeting early this morning to, once and for all, finalize a contract with its valets and avoid major disruptions at the Derby. The governor and mediator were notified of the meeting last night; even still, the valets were once met with radio silence by their employer.

Today's informational leafleting action by the Greater Louisville Central Labour Council — which represents 50 unions and 50,000 workers in the area — will preview a potential Derby with valets and parimutuels on strike. The action will take place TODAY until 3pm ET at Churchill Downs.

Churchill Downs valets' efforts to secure a fair contract with living wages and benefits has gotten the attention of national media:

“We put out a lot of hard work here and we risk our physical bodies. We make this product that they sell to people for millions of dollars all over the world,” Ron Shelton, a Churchill Downs valet, told New York Magazine.

Shelton told Huffington Post, “The valets just want a damn slice of the pie. We're not asking for anything out of the ordinary, or an inordinate amount.”

A key priority for valets is ensuring that Churchill Downs maintains current staffing levels, which the company has refused. For valets like Josh Foster, who's been at the racetrack for less than five years and lacks the seniority that would protect him from staffing cuts, a contract would help win job security.

He told New York Magazine: “If they call and tell two of us to stay home, I have no job.”

The CEO of Churchill Downs, Willian Castanjen, made over $10.5 million dollars, over 400 times the salary of the median worker at the racetrack.

The post Churchill Fails To Show Up At Contract Meeting With Valets; Strike On Derby Day A Possibility appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post