Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Fairmount Season's Fate in the Balance
Employees' hours an issue for union, track, racing board

January 3, 2010

A meeting set up Monday by the Illinois Racing Board in Chicago may determine the fate of Fairmount Park's upcoming season.

But the union representing state employees who work at the horse-racing track are not so sure this will be the end of it. They have been trying to secure 130 work days for six employees, but so far the Collinsville horse-racing track has balked because the Illinois Racing Board has only granted a maximum of 52 race dates at the track next season.

The union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has filed a complaint with the Illinois State Labor Relations Board. AFSCME Council 31 regional director Kent Beauchamp said the racing board should not punish the Collinsville track.

"I think it's outrageous that the racing board is trying to put the track and its owners out as a hostage to try to get us to agree to only work a certain number of days," Beauchamp said.

As it stands, if an agreement over work days for those six state employees is not reached, the racing board will reduce Fairmount Park's 2010 season to only three dates.

Beauchamp said the union would not share its position publicly, but he hoped that the meeting Monday could result in an agreement.

"It's possible that we could reach an agreement on Monday," Beauchamp said. "If we don't, I don't think it's the end of it."

In September, the racing board awarded the track 52 dates under the condition that state workers represented by AFSCME Local 1805 work 130 days at the track, due an arbitrator's prior decision back in September. Recent negotiations between the track and union has left a proposal for 75 working days during a 52-race season.

Another condition is to raise the track's pari-mutuel tax from 0.25 percent to 0.75 percent, which the General Assembly must do through a bill and pass by June 15. The pari-mutuel tax is a tax rate the track pays on daily receipts. In 2006, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a bill that lowered Fairmount Park's tax from 1.5 percent to 0.25 percent. The state's other four horse-racing venues, which are each located in the Chicago area, still pay 1.5 percent.

Racing board Executive Director Marc Laino said that if an agreement cannot be reached Monday, Fairmount Park will have only three race days --by far its shortest racing season.

"The board has made that decision that if this does not happen by that day, in effect they are awarded three-day meet instead of a 52-day meet," Laino said. "There will be no further action by the board."

In Collinsville, Illinois Horseman's Benevolent and Protective Association Executive Director Lanny Brooks said the union has declined 75 work dates in previous negotiations. He said he does not know about any other proposals.

"I don't know if they're doing that," Brooks said. "I had a conversation with one leading negotiator, and he told me early on everyone realized that 130 isn't the number, but 75 isn't the number."

"I don't know what they're going to do. ... We're going to wait and see. We're really in the dark on this thing."

Jeff Bowen, who is the senior state steward with the racing board and top regulatory official at Fairmount Park, has been on the negotiating committee for those AFSCME employees working at the track. He said there are six state workers represented by the union: a steward secretary, two state stewards, a licensing clerk, a state veterinarian and a security coordinator. The security coordinator was Granite City resident Rodney Boatwright, who died two weeks ago.

Bowen said a successor would have to be hired to replace Boatwright as the negotiations still include six state jobs.

Bowen said the major issue in arguing for more work days is that the state workers need to work 130 days, which is the same number of days they worked at the track last year, to receive health insurance coverage. He also said giving the six state workers 130 days of work would cost Fairmount Park about $75,000 more in pay than if the workers worked 75 days --a 43 percent pay cut.

"Which seems to me that the racing board is going to extreme measures regarding their position to vacate to three days next year over this insignificant amount," Bowen said.

Laino said he hopes to get an agreement on race dates Monday by the board rather than limiting Fairmount Park to only three race dates.

"Again, we're offering up to 75 days of work for 52 days of live racing," he said. "We think it's extremely generous."