Clerks Will Take Dispute to the Picket Line Today

The contract dispute between California racetracks and pari-mutuel clerks moves from the bargaining table to the sidewalks today, when picket lines will go up at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and Del Mar.

Attorneys for the Service Employees Union International, Local 280, have sought injunctions against the racetracks for requiring clerks to sign non-union employment agreements, and for operating satellite betting facilities without a union contract. The union has charged the tracks with a lockout.

George DiGiovanni, spokesman for Local 280, said Tuesday afternoon that the main target of the pickets will be Santa Anita, the largest off-track site in operation when Hollywood Park resumes its thoroughbred racing programs today.

“Out of consideration for the people of Inglewood and in light of the problems of the community, we will only have a handful of informational pickets at Hollywood Park,” DiGiovanni said.