Union: Tentative deal averts strike before Belmont
June 6, 2012NEW YORK (AP) - A union official says a tentative deal has been reached between Belmont racetrack workers and the New York Racing Association, avoiding a possible strike on the eve of a Triple Crown bid.
Vincent McElroen, financial secretary for Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, says he doesn't have details of the pact. He says 80 maintenance workers and starters will be working Saturday.
I'll Have Another will try to become the 12th horse to win all three legs of the Triple Crown: The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. It's been 34 years since Affirmed became the last to capture the crown.
The workers at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga tracks have been without a contract since February 2011.
A NYRA spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.