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Dispute between Chicago jockeys, Illinois horsemen drags on

Posted: Thursday, May 08, 2008 4:31 PM

by Neil Milbert
 
The dispute between Chicago circuit jockeys and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association over a proposed increase in losing mount fees from $45 to $75 is going into its second year.
 
Last summer during the Arlington Park meeting the Jockey's Guild filed a lawsuit against the ITHA but it was dropped on the recommendation of Terry Meyocks after he became the organization's national manager.
 
It appeared that the Illinois Racing Board had mediated a settlement on April 25 after the riders refused to fulfill their commitments, delaying the start of the Hawthorne Race Course program, until an apparent deal was made.
 
But three days later the jockeys were told that ITHA president Frank Kirby had no authority to make such an agreement without getting the approval of the ITHA membership and some owners refused to honor that day's commitment to up the ante to $75 per mount.
 
"The ITHA can't enter into a contract agreement with an independent contractor," Kirby said. "The fee is negotiable."
 
Meyocks argues that the $45 fee is inadequate in the current economic climate and is not a realistic compensation for the jockeys' efforts and the risk.

"Since 1985 the only raise the riders have gotten was a $5 increase in 2001," Meyocks said. "Prices have gone up. Health insurance has gone up. Everything has skyrocketed."
 
By Meyocks' calculations, when fees for agents and valets and Jockey's Guild dues are deducted, jockeys actually are receiving net pay of $27 before taxes rather than $45.
 
According to Shelley Kalita, the Racing Board's general counsel/director of administration, ITHA leaders told her they are acting on the advice of their legal counsel in refusing to make a blanket agreement.
 
 "All we can do is mediate and clarify the existing rule [because] a 1972 Illinois Supreme Court case found it to be unconstitutional for the board to determine or set jockey mount fees," Kalita said. 
 
In hopes of expediting an agreement the Illinois Racing Board has issued a directive putting owners and trainers on notice that the stewards at Arlington will enforce the board rule that reads: "No horse shall be allowed to start for any race and no jockey shall be weighed out until there has been paid or guaranteed a jockey fee."
 
In addition, the board-approved Arlington stall agreement designates trainers as authorized agents of the owners who are empowered to hire a jockey and negotiate and guarantee binding mount fees.

Neil Milbert is an Illinois-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent