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.
