New York Horsemen Call for Improved Backstretch Housing

A New York horsemen's group is urging regulators to bolster plans for establishing new standards for living conditions at backstretch working housing facilities owned by the New York Racing Association.

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, in recommendations to the New York State Gaming Commission, asked that proposed rules governing backstretch housing be supplemented with a series of additional minimum standards, including that a representative of the horsemen's group be recognized by the state as the advocate for backstretch workers facing eviction from racetrack housing. 

The group representing owners and trainers also wants, according to state regulators, stronger rules to ensure:

• minimum staffing levels at the New York Racing Association to handle backstretch housing programs;
• ban smoking in backstretch housing and require NYRA to install air conditioning in all backstretch sleeping areas;
• "create a streamlined, transparent, and modern system for submitting and tracking maintenance requests" at backstretch housing facilities.

At its March 25 meeting, the gaming commission adopted a new regulation, without comment, aimed specifically at backstretch housing at NYRA tracks, which has nearly 2,300 beds at its tracks for backstretch workers.

The state agency late last year gave preliminary approval to new backstretch housing regulations, which kicked off a public comment period. It received two comments: one with additional ideas from the NYTHA and one from NYRA in which the racing corporation "expressed its full support" for the new rules, according to documents by the Gaming Commission in advance of today's board meeting.

The state agency is modeling the backstretch housing rules after regulations already in place pertaining to migrant workers' housing requirements. The rules affect a broad array of housing conditions, from size of rooms, fire safety devices, flooring materials that can be used, temperature of water, and set standards for when the state deems a health hazard to be present in backstretch housing.

The rules, at least for now, will only affect NYRA tracks, though state officials have previously said they could be expanded to other facilities in the future. NYRA has 90% of the state's backstretch housing beds.