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2012 Belmont Stakes: Labor Deal Eases Questions Of Race-Day Strike

It's hard to tell how serious threats were that this weekend's Belmont Stakes might get disrupted because of a strike. But whatever chance for problems, a new labor deal should lay that all to rest.

The Associated Press is among those reporting that Belmont racetrack workers have struck a deal with the New York Racing Association, which earlier this week chided the Local 3 branch of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for instigating the labor dispute on the week of the big race.

The racetrack workers had been without a contract since February of 2011, just one of the reasons for the potential strike. From the AP:

The major issues were overtime and the structure of the tracks' work week. NYRA runs races Wednesday through Sunday, but the contract covers a Monday-through-Friday week, which means union workers earn built-in overtime on weekends. NYRA was seeking to immediately take away overtime for working Saturdays and Sundays, a move the union said would cut some workers' pay by 30 percent.

The Belmont, which will feature I'll Have Another's quest for a Triple Crown, is expected to draw about 100,000 people.

I'll Have Another will try to become the first horse in 34 years to win the Triple Crown.

For more on the Belmont, check out this SB Nation Minnesota stream, or this SB Nation stream. You can also watch SB Nation's YouTube channel:

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.