Group of Churchill Downs workers planning a strike for Derby if they can t reach deal Updated: 7:03 PM EDT Apr 29, 2021 Mark Vanderhoff Share Updated: 7:03 PM EDT Apr 29, 2021
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Show Transcript WHAT THEY WANT IN ORDER TO STAY ON THE JOB. REPORTER: HOW MUCH REALLY GOES INTO PUTTING A SETTLE ON A HORSE? IF YOU TALK TO A VALET THEY COMES AND THEY WILL TELL YOU WHEN IT COMES TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF JOCKEYS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THE LINE, A LOT GOES INTO IT AND THAT IS WHY THEY SAY THEY DESERVE A RAISE. THEY HAVE THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF SAFELY SETTLING HYPED UP PREMIER HORSES. REPORTER: THE VALETS ARE ASKING FOR AN INCREASE IN THEIR PAY, FROM $109 PER DAY TO $120, AND THEN UP TO $130 IN THREE YEARS. CHURCHILL DOWNS SAYS THEY CAN’T OFFER A RAISE THIS YEAR, BUT WILL OFFER ABOUT $115 NEXT YEAR. THE 6% IN THE SECOND YEAR THAT THEY ARE REFERRING TO DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR THE NEAR DECADE OF WAGE STAGNATION. REPORTER: THE VA
LOUISVILLE, Ky. With just days until the Kentucky Derby, valets at Churchill Downs now have the option to strike, after the Service Employees International Union authorized a potential labor action related to a contract dispute.
Members of SEIU Local 541, the racetrack employees union, would have the backing of an international union that has over 2 million members and is one of the largest in the United States, if they choose to strike, a Wednesday news release said.
As the valets deliberate, the affiliated unions of the Greater Louisville Central Labor Council will meet Wednesday to discuss actions they will take in support of Local 541 s members, the news release said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. About 50 union workers and supporters stood in the rain outside Churchill Downs Saturday afternoon, demanding the racetrack agree to a fair contract with its valets as it heads into Kentucky Derby Week.
Members of SEIU Local 541, the racetrack employees union, say the track s valets have been working without a union contract since November after the previous five-year agreement expired.
A statement from the group said the situation could result in major disruptions during Kentucky Derby Week.
David O Brien Suetholz, union attorney, said Churchill Downs canceled negotiations Thursday after the valets unanimously rejected their last best offer. This is a corporation that just take, takes, takes, and we re asking for members of our community who are essential to the races we re asking for just a semblance of justice in their contract, he said.
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Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
A group of workers and members of SEIU Local 541, essential to successful horse races, are entering Kentucky Derby Week in Louisville, Ky., without a contract. On Saturday, labor and community allies will support these workers at a protest at Churchill Downs Racetrack to alert the public to potential disruptions during Derby Week and call on Churchill Downs Incorporated to do right by their employees in Kentucky and agree to fair contracts.
Churchill Downs Incorporated, which brought in over $1 billion in revenue last year, is refusing to agree to a fair contract that gives its valets at Churchill Downs Racetrack and Turfway Park a fair wage and basic workplace protections to ensure adequate staffing levels at the racetracks. The valets are highly skilled workers whose work is critical to the success and safety of the Kentucky Derby operation. They must saddle horses and make sure each horse is compliant with stringent rac