PARI-MUTUEL EMPLOYEE'S GUILD SEIU LOCAL 280 Affiliated with Service Employees International General
Office (626)
301-7900 1-800-439-4280
(CA toll free) (626) 301-7960 FAX E-mail:
Pmeg_Local280@hotmail.com
WEB: http://www.seiulocal280.org
PRESIDENT RICHARD CASTRO RICHARD CASTRO
The S.E.I.U. and
the Change To Win Coalition of labor unions asked for
permission to contact our membership on a variety of issues: Immigration being
the main focus right now. I asked that
our membership NOT be contacted; that the Local itself would carry the
message. Most of the
demonstrations/rallies are on Saturdays, and we need our members to fill the
jobs at the job site, which is the main reason I asked you not be contacted via
phone or mailings.
If you are
interested in passing out leaflets, walking and/or working in precincts,
working on a phone bank, desire more information on this issue or other issues
(single payer health care, abortion, political campaigns, etc.) as they come
up, please contact the Southern Office and we will help you get in contact with
organizations favorable to the interests of SEIU.
I’m letting the
membership know that this Executive Board is looking at a dues increase. It boils down to the fact, if we maintain
representation and the business model as it is today, we need to increase
income (higher dues). It's no secret
that costs are going up; the price of gas has sky rocketed for all of us; but
the biggest hurt is the loss of 600 full time dues paying members over the last
five or so years.
This Board is
willing to explore all options, including a base and sliding scale for those
who don’t have a seniority number that allows them to work everyday. It would
be appreciated if you have any thoughts on this subject, that you either submit
them in writing or (better still) present them at the next general membership
meeting.
For those who
wonder why they are better off having a union job covered under a Collective
Bargaining Agreement, vs. being non-union, consider just the following benefit
of having the union as a worker advocate:
A car company
can move its factories to
BUT, heaven help
Senior Citizens who dare buy their Prescription Drugs from a Canadian or
Mexican pharmacy. THAT’S CALLED
UN-AMERICAN! And you think the
Pharmaceutical Companies don’t have a Powerful Lobby? Think Again!
This is a bit more than
lobbying…this is called political payoff.
I’m 100% positive that if it were not for Pari-Mutuel
Local 280 leadership fighting for you today, many of you would not have a job
without the current manning clause. We
have that manning clause because previous Boards wanted to protect as many jobs
as we could, realizing that ADW was going to take fans away from the
track.
I’m not asking
at this time for anyone to contribute to our P.A.C. fund. For those of you in the past who have
contributed, recently your money has gone to support the Advanced Deposit
Wagering (our promised phone jobs) Legislation AB 1289. We have been successful in getting language
written into this bill that will bring the wagering hubs to
ALL OF THIS IS
PRELIMINARY AT THIS POINT, but I’m confident that we will be successful in
creating new job opportunities for our members.
When you
consider the merits of a union and a possible dues increase, let's not forget
what opportunities we do have because of what the union has been able to
achieve for its members via Collective Bargaining. It’s more than a job with good wages; it's
Pension, it's Health Coverage, and the constant fight
to keep what we have regarding manning.
Much of this is taken for granted, and that is a mistake. What you have today is based on a history of
a constant struggle with an employer group who wants to keep more, and give you
less.
This has been a
very busy time period for Indian Tribal Gaming issues as well. What the racing associations are seeking is
between $300-$400 million dollars per year, each year, put into horsemen’s
purses. This should make CA more
competitive with larger wagering fields, which in turn will bring more fans
back to the live horse-wagering track.
More fans should bring our members more jobs.
The racing associations
would like to see Class 3 (Las Vegas/Reno style) Slot machines in the
grandstand to supplement income. At the
present time, I don’t see this happening; I don’t see that passing an Amendment
if it were on a ballot. There is a hope
that a different kind of machine (often referred to as the Instant Racing
Machine) will be available, that allows patrons to wager on historical races
that are set up as a pari-mutuel game.
It is being used in some States and has been reported to be successful
in at least two States. It's unclear at
this point if this will become reality before the end of 2008.
This Executive
Board has stood by Bay Meadows to continue live racing in 2008 and beyond. I expect the California Horse Racing Board to
grant racing days for Bay Meadows to continue live racing in 2008 at its next
meeting in June. Our membership needs to
realize that live racing at Bay Meadows in the future is limited. We might be successful in helping to get live
racing in 2008, but beyond 2008 is doubtful if this track (true for all CA
tracks) will stay in business much longer without additional sources of
revenue.
This Executive
Board is supporting Golden Gate Fields and its issue with putting in a Poly
Track. The problem here is that the
Albany City Planners and Sierra Club are, in my opinion, holding
I want to take
this opportunity to thank many of you for your help and support. I feel I have been blessed as your President
in that you the membership, and every member of this whole Executive Board, has
been very generous in the help and support that has been directed to me. Many of the issues we are facing are new and
complex. It is so beneficial for me to
know that so many of you have come forward with your help and support and I
just want to express my sincere thanks.
Yes, you are appreciated and I just wish I could get you more in higher
wages, better benefits and better working conditions because I, more than most,
know you deserve it.
A few of our members who are over 70 years of age have
contacted the Guild stating that they did not get the proper raises to their
pensions on work they did in 2005. After checking their records it appears that
they were correct and were “shorted” approximately $35.00 a month. The pension
has been notified of these shortcomings. If you were age 70 and still working
in 2005, and received an increase in your pension in 2006 for hours worked in
2005 you should make sure that the increase would equal the 2.7% increase you
were entitled to, minus any "%'s" for joint
annuitants. Basically, if you joined the Guild before 1986 your pension should
have increased approximately 55 cents a day for each day worked that year. If
you joined the Guild after 1985 your pension should have gone up approximately
36 cents a day for each day worked.
The Guild is
still questioning the pension trust’s ethics in keeping the pension
contributions of those members who are working and drawing a pension under the age
of 70. These members continue to work and contribute to the pension trust, but
because their pensions are more than the amount of the money they contribute
each year, they are not adjusting the pension. The tradeoff is they are allowed
to draw their pensions and earn extra income while giving up increases in their
pension. Letters have been sent concerning this matter. It is not right what
they are doing, but it is legal. Before 1992, if you were single and died, your
pension could not be left to anyone. The only acceptable beneficiary before
that time was a spouse.
I am hearing a
number of complaints about the WHR’s (Weekend Holiday Retiree’s). Members are complaining about not getting to
work on weekends because there is a retiree there. WHR’s are complaining about
not getting to work weekends because someone worked during the week with a
higher number and they went ahead of them on weekends. You can’t please
everyone. However, both are legitimate concerns. Anyone
working a day during the week works ahead of those working only on weekends.
WHR’s working a day during the week do not have this
right because they have no seniority number during the week. Those members that
are upset that they do not get to work on weekends because a WHR is working, probably would not have worked anyway, because when
the WHR retired, they probably opened up a job for someone else during the
week.
Last year, the
Guild ended up in the red by $14,000.00. This was due to increase in costs and
a reduction in membership. The Guild has not raised the dues in the past three
years and will be looking into solutions to keep the Guild in the black with
possibly equitable increases for those who work the most.
The 18th
annual picnic will be held on Tuesday, July 10th at
Local 280 has
discount coupons for Aquarium of the Pacific,
The Retirees
Luncheon in the South will take place on Wednesday, October 3rd, at
Santa Anita’s FrontRunner. The cost will be $10.00 each for retiree and guest
(1 guest per retiree) and additional tickets may be purchased at cost $47.00
each. There will be no refund of the $10.00, because of the high cost of the
luncheon.
The next
Executive Board Meeting will be on Monday June 25th at the Hacienda
Hotel in El Segundo beginning at
2007 is an
election year for your Executive Board and officers. The election and nomination meetings will
take place in the latter part of the year.
Union Dues are due July 1st
and delinquent if not postmarked by July 31st.
SOUTHERN VICE-PRESIDENT DOUG KEMPT
The summer meet has gotten off to
a good start the first 21 days, with total handle up 9%, on track handle up
5.7% and on track attendance up 1.7%. This is the first time since I have been
in office, that
Upcoming BIG DAYS at
|
Sat., June 9th |
|
|
Sat., June 30th |
GOLD CUP DAY (Cap
Giveaway) |
|
Friday Night, July
6th |
CASH CALL MILE |
|
Sat., July 7th |
AMERICAN OAKS |
Please make yourself
available to work these big days.
We will be running the bus to
Once again we are asking for any
available replacement clerks to work at
Sign-ups for the
CLERK TRAINING @ DEL MAR
Mr. Navarro has agreed to train
permit clerks before the meet starts. Training is tentatively scheduled for the
evenings of Mon. July 9, thru Thurs. July 12. If you know anyone who would like
to be a mutuel clerk at
CHRB MEETING, HOPE FOR BAY MEADOWS
The most recent CHRB meeting was
very eventful, as Magna Corp. reported that they had no plans to re-furbish
Santa Anita’s aging barn area. This news came as a shock to the CHRB members,
as Santa Anita executives had previously promised at many recent CHRB meetings
to upgrade the barns. Later
POLITICAL CLIMATE CHANGING
The appearance of California
Legislators at the CHRB meeting was a welcome sight. We thank Senator Leland Yee and Assemblyman
Alberto Torrico for their presence and support of the Horse Racing Industry.
Several Lobbyists spoke at the CHRB meeting about various legislative bills
that are designed to help this industry. These bills include ways to increase the
number of satellite locations in the state, as well as ADW bills which are
designed to help get us more jobs (AB 1289) and direct more money into purses
to attract more horses to race in California. There seems to be a genuine
concern for our Industry, with the overriding theme that we, as an industry,
need to get together and agree on what we need to compete.
CLERKS PLEASE GIVE THE CHANGE FIRST
I have been receiving reports and
disciplinary actions about clerks not giving change to the patrons. Make sure
you present the change (coins) first before you deliver the currency.
CARUSO PROJECT AT SANTA ANITA
The proposed redevelopment of the
southern parking lot of Santa Anita Park (known as the Caruso Project) took a
step forward when the Arcadia City Council unanimously passed a resolution to
begin the process of bringing an initiative to the residents of
RACING IS NOT DEAD YET
Santa Anita Park just ended a
good meet, Hollywood Park is off to a good start, the California Legislature
seems to be behind racing, and things are looking up for Bay Meadows and
Hollywood Park remaining race tracks. Plans include expansion of satellite
facilities (maybe at Tribal Casinos and card clubs, etc.), and horses seem to
be starting to come back to
NORTHERN VICE PRESIDENT NATALIE GIBSON
A big Thank you
to all who showed up to work on Derby Day, and then on Preakness Day. In appreciation to the clerks on Derby Day,
Management served us box lunches; thank you for the lunch. Sunday is Dollar Day, and we have been
getting a lot of first-time bettors.
Please be helpful to them and explain the art of betting, as we do need NEW PATRONS coming out. Saturday, June 9 is the Belmont Stakes,
which will be a very good opportunity to work.
Some of you have
been CALLING OFF and leaving the
Satellites short-handed; one facility had four clerks call off in one day, with
no other clerks available. Fortunately,
I was able at the last minute to obtain a night clerk to come in and they were
also kind enough to wait until I dispatched a clerk from
We had some good
news recently -- the CHRB and Bay Meadows found some middle ground on Tuesday
May 22 that could result in racing continuing at the San Mateo Race Track
through 2008 -- depending largely on the outcome of negotiations that will be
discussed at the June 19 meeting of the CHRB.
Dates will be determined at a later date.
Elections of
Officers of Local 280 will be coming up at the end of this year. Think about running for an office. IT IS
NOT ENOUGH anymore to just pay dues; we all need to make the time to
participate in the
When going on
vacation put yourselves on WILL CALL. Most of you have been great, and it has been
working out fine. NO LOST JOBS.
Fairs will be
starting soon, and I would appreciate it if you will get your name on a list as
soon as possible. I will need every
available clerk for
|
San
Joaquin Co. Fair, |
Dark:
Mon. 6/18 & Tues. 6/19 |
|
Alameda
Co. Fair, |
Dark:
Tues. 7/3 |
|
Solano
Co. Fair, |
Dark:
NONE, 5 days of racing |
|
Sonoma
Co. Fair, |
Dark:
Mon. 7/23, Tues. 7/24 and Tues. 7/31 |
|
San
Mateo Co. Fair, |
Dark:
Tues. 8/14 |
|
Humboldt
Co. Fair, |
Dark:
Tues. 8/14 |
|
The
Big |
Dark:
Tues. 10/9 |
Our Condolences to the families of: Terresa Heneghan (#1217), Stan Hinton (#230), Claudia Lucero (#1034), and Bertha Jordan (Ret.), who have passed away since our last newsletter. To all who have lost a loved one, you have our deepest sympathy. To all who are ill, we wish you well on the road to recovery.
IN SAD REMEMBRANCE
The Sisters and Brothers of Local 280 extend our deepest
sympathy to the family and friends of those active members and retirees who
recently passed away.
Stephen W. Bailey [RET]
William E. Brown #95 W
Fermo Cambianica [RET]
Joseph P. Conway [RET]
Manuel H. Cuellar [RET]
Nathan Forrest [RET]
Terresa Heneghan #1217
Donald N. Hinkel [RET]
Yvonne Howard [RET]
Bertha
Claudia Lucero #1034
John Niccolls [RET]
Shelley Paille #361
Donald Pettit [RET]
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our condolences go to the family
of Randeen Gilbert on the loss of her mother Dorothy McCutcheon, and Joan
Stevens on the passing of her husband John Stevens.
PMEG
LOCAL 280 RETIREES
CIRCLE By Joe Stellino, W/H Retiree I want to thank President Castro, Secretary/Treasurer Correll and
the Executive Board for giving me the opportunity to serve on the Senior
Members Committee. I believe that the Retirees need and want to be
informed on Medicare, Social Security and the latest news and events. If
you Retirees have any input you are welcome to contact me: Joe Stellino Email
jstellino@sbcglobal.net or Phone (909) 875-9312. Social Security Question: Do I have to pay income tax on my
Social Security benefits? Answer: Some
people who get Social Security will have to pay taxes on their benefits.
Less than one-third of our current beneficiaries pay taxes on their
benefits. You will have to pay federal taxes on your benefits if you file a
federal tax return as an “individual” and your total income is more than
$25,000.00. If you file a joint return, you will have to pay taxes if you
and your spouse have a total income that is more than $32,000.00. This publication is also available on the IRS website at
www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p915.pdf. Medicare Question: What is the “Part B” Medicare monthly
premium for 2007? Answer: The
Medicare Part B premium amounts for 2007 are determined by the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS). The premiums paid by beneficiaries
enrolled in Medicare Part B cover physician’s services, outpatient
hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical
equipment and other items. The standard Medicare Part B monthly premium
will be $93.50 in 2007, an increase of $5.00 from 2006 $88.50 premium. Most beneficiaries will continue to pay the standard premium.
Beginning in 2007, a small number of beneficiaries with higher incomes
(individuals with income exceeding $80,000.00 and married couples with
income exceeding $160,000.00 will pay a higher Part B premium based on
their income. For more information, see Social Security’s publication, Medicare
Part B Premiums: New Rules for Beneficiaries with Higher Incomes 2006,
call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213, or at www.medicare.gov * Southern Thoroughbred
and Fair - minor changes from 2006 . No six-day race weeks except . Weeks with a
Monday resulting in a five
day work week . The week following the Monday Holiday
will be the standard Wednesday through Sunday five-day work week. ** approved by CHRB *** closing day to
be determined
.