While The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation continues to deliver for backstretch workers, its executive director, Shannon Kelly, offered a polite reminder that industry participants need to ensure that labor is treated fairly as racing competes with other large employers.
Kelly was speaking at The Jockey Club's Round Table on Matters Pertaining to Racing Aug. 14 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. As usual, the conference provided updates on a number of industry topics that deserve further consideration going forward. With that in mind, the August What's Going On Here for BloodHorse magazine will comment on economist Lauren Stiroh's presentation that found a strong link between declining breeding numbers and declining pari-mutuel wagering totals (adjusted for inflation.)
But in this space, I thought I would follow up on Kelly's informative presentation in which she noted that the Safety Net distributes nearly half-a-million dollars worth of financial aid and assistance each year for workers.
"Recipients represent virtually every facet of the industry, from jockeys and trainers, exercise riders and grooms, to office personnel and other employees of racetracks, racing organizations, and breeding farms," Kelly said. "Adversity or hardship can present itself in a variety of ways. So the Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation remains flexible in the type of support it provides. Assistance can come in a number of forms, including financial aid for basic living needs, medication, surgical, and hospital costs. This type of emergency individual assistance is our main focus."
Kelly expressed optimism as recently ground was broken on a new health clinic on the Saratoga Race Course backstretch. She credited John Hendrickson and the late Mary Lou Whitney for largely funding the clinic.
"This clinic will provide expanded care services to the hundreds of backstretch workers who are here for the racing season," Kelly said. "And for many, this may be one of the few medical visits that they have access to. So we commend the team at (Backstretch Employee Service Team and the New York Racing Association) for embarking on this very worthy venture."
As mentioned earlier, Kelly also used the presentation to remind employers of the importance of providing a living wage.
"We are allocating tens-of-thousands of dollars for food pantries. What does that tell us? That tells us that our workforce on our own backstretches are unable to satisfy this basic human need. The people who feed our precious equine athletes cannot feed themselves," Kelly said. "Remember, racing is not immune to the trends that the country is facing with regards to the workforce. We are competing with companies such as Amazon and Walmart that pay $15 an hour and offer benefits like sick days, vacation time, and five-day work weeks. Why would anyone choose to work for us? At a certain point, a love of the horse just isn't enough.
"We need our workforce. We need our backstretch to be a place that people want to work and where they feel safe and welcome. Emergencies will always exist and the Safety Net will be there to step in. But we need to make sure that our workers' requirements to live on a daily basis are met. The need for that type of assistance should be obsolete."
