Agua Caliente Closed Today After Workers Go on Strike
Workers at Agua Caliente race track went on strike Friday night, shutting the popular track and six of seven off-track betting sites on the eve of the big Fourth of July weekend.
Jan Wood, the track’s publicist, said today’s 12-race program was canceled. With a settlement unlikely this weekend, Sunday’s races and Monday’s dog racing card probably will be scratched, she said.
“I don’t think they’ll resolve it,” Wood said. “They (union workers) always pick a weekend that will hurt.”
Also closed were three off-track betting locations in Tijuana, including one at the track, and sites in Ensenada, Tecate and Rosarito, Wood said. Off-track betting from other tracks will still be taken in Mexicali, she said.
Alba Roja, the union representing 1,500 cashiers, waiters, groundskeepers and other track employees, voted to strike over a management attempt to reduce the size of its labor force, Wood said.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.