Labor Violations at Saratoga
 

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- "State Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith
says her agency has found widespread violations of labor law at
Saratoga Race Course.
The labor department investigation discovered minimum wage,
overtime and record keeping violations.
Smith says the probe showed thousands of dollars in wages have
gone unpaid.
Details of the violations are scheduled to be released at a
press conference Wednesday."


http://www.labor.state.ny.us/

Just wonderful....

Haven't read the actual state report, however, this may in fact have more to do with individual trainers than it has to do with NYRA -- for that matter, perhaps everything.

Eric

Wouldn't they have to be here legally in order to be violated according to the law? Oh, wai









*thud*

The e-mail from Rosales did not identify what employers were implicated, but a person close to the case said the investigation focused on private horse trainers, not the New York Racing Association.


per the article posted by Travis.

I would like to know who the hell is actually surprised that these people are underpaid...

i'm not sure why you think it has only to do with undocumented workers. wal-mart had a suit filed not long ago because of people working off the clock. a lot of companies encourage this sort of thing--they say they don't want you working off the clock, but they don't wish to pay overtime, but make you feel as tho you should accomplish everything on your schedule in the time allotted, and that if you haven't-perhaps you're not working as efficiently as you should. so, next thing you know, people are working off the clock.

the backstretch, along with a lot of other employers, are hurting for workers as a lot of people aren't filing for migrant visas--the numbers aren't as high as in years' past for people coming here to work.

i can't help wondering if there is a correlation between our current economic problems and the witchhunt mentality we've had for the last year or so regarding foreign workers. people won't come here if they are made to feel unwanted, and then employers can't fill vacancies. so then they have to hike their offered wages to try to attract people, raising their prices at the same time-which drives up inflation. and that's exactly what we're experiencing right now.

Seriously. This is news?

For the quality of work received, very few are underpaid. The govt seems simply to exist to try to destroy small business and provide big media circuses to make it seem as though they are actually doing something. No one working on the backside doesnt understand the deal going in, backside workers recieve health care benefits and a place to live to go along with their pay. After the bs workmans comp law that was passed in NY last year this is step number 2 in the death of all non connected business in NY. Horse trainers are an easy target because of the perception of everyone being wealthy, the widespread use of immigrants and the lack of a trainers lobbyist group. The timing of Travers week is no coincidence i'm sure.

The fact is that the typical backstretch worker DOES have a long day, when he or she is "running a horse." Even when the barn has nothing running, it's split shift or a long day. Most of the barn work is done in the morning by noon then there is late feeding and evening check. It's the nature of the work.
That said, I agree with Cannon that for the employer (trainer) it's impossible to schedule staff to avoid overtime when the day starts at 5am and ends at 8pm. Even if you give your help 3 hrs off for "lunch", it's considered too long a day. In NY the issue is compounded by the insane detention process. The groom now has to sit in the gulag with the horse, unable to accomplish any of the barn chores that could be done while on the clock.

Maybe the day rate of 85 a day isnt enough to pay the workers?

Well we don't live in a 3rd world country so that is why we have Labor Laws...there should be NO reason why they can't be followed and Trainers should not think they don't have to follow them...I guess every trainer feels they are entitled to driving a BMW in New York, so they stiff their workers....if the help is no good why don't you just fire them? I would think if you did pay the help the correct amount they would make more money and in turn maybe work harder...just a thought

I see Barclay Tagg driving around town in a huge Lexus (Florida plates) and the guys working for him on Schwinns :zz:

He be rolling in his Lexus looking all cool and ****.

Some of the trainers need to be deported as well.

Tagg just got that car. For 10 years he had an Altima.

Its really nice. I saw him doing like 60 on Lincoln Ave. Looked like he had somewhere he wanted to be.

I agree about the illegals. However, in many instances, illegals are the only folks who will take the work.
CapNews9, Albany reports that 88 workers are owed $7000 in overtime and minimum wages. Do the math. Doesn't seem like a real big error here. Dept Labor also reported that payroll books were not kept well which seems to indicate some workers are paid under the table or at least partially.
Most trainers will give the crew a bonus when stakes are won and times are good.

According to the report the Dept of Labor will broaden their investigation beyond Saratoga.