Problems are brewing...

[whodey17]

Universal Health Care Coverage would fix this problem. I can really see both sides here but who would employ the jocks? Would they be state employees? Employees of the owners. Employees of the trainers? If they were employeed by either of these people then they cannot choose who they ride and when. It would be a logistic mess. The racing industry really needs to come together as a group and work as a group. The sport is so seperated and that is the biggest part of the problem in my mind.

[citycat]

You have got to be joking if you think the "fair" thing to do is to have the owners foot the bill. We are definitely not the ones making the money. The last study I ready indicated that only 7% of owners even made money. To me jockeys are independent contractors, it is not the owners fault they get swindeled by the guild. The jockeys have to accept some responsibility here.

To say that its ok for the owners with lower caliber horses get the lower jockeys.......preposterious

[Honu]

Originally Posted by citycat

You have got to be joking if you think the "fair" thing to do is to have the owners foot the bill. We are definitely not the ones making the money. The last study I ready indicated that only 7% of owners even made money. To me jockeys are independent contractors, it is not the owners fault they get swindeled by the guild. The jockeys have to accept some responsibility here.

To say that its ok for the owners with lower caliber horses get the lower jockeys.......preposterious

But what about the jocks who are not in the Guild who are getting the shaft because everyone thinks the Guild speaks for all riders? I rode races for 13 years and was never in the Guild , got called a scab and was shunned by my fellow riders when I chose to ride in 1991 when they all went on strike. I didnt say the owners should foot the bill , I just presented a solution to the problem , and by the way most trainers foot the bill for workmans comp. if they choose to pass that on to their owners , well then that is their choice.
Tony Black in Pa. tried to form a Union for jockeys that didnt want to be in the Guild and he found that there wasnt one Teamsters Union that would accept them. You know it gets kinda old that people think that jocks should just ride for the fun of it , that when they get hurt thru no fault of their own well that is just tough luck , and they should pay to heal themselves . True this game wouldnt go on without the owners but the same can be said for the men and women who risk life and limb everyday .Yes nobody is forced to ride races , but people would sure have a hard time betting on horses who just ran around the track freely.