U.S. Department of Labor

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) and Steve Asmussen have entered into a negotiated agreement that will "adjourn" twice-postponed hearings that were supposed to have examined the Hall-of-Fame conditioner's fitness for owner and trainer licensure after the NYSGC raised concerns regarding Asmussen's pay practices involving backstretch workers. In exchange for the hearing being taken off the NYSGC's docket, the agency explained in a Nov. 12 press release, Asmussen must engage and pay for an independent monitor approved by the NYSGC who will provide quarterly written reports to the NYSGC...

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association is hosting a webinar for THA trainers Sept. 6, featuring representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor - Wage & Hour Division, as well as the New York State Department of Labor. Topics will include employer requirements for the H-2B visa program, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and investigative processes, along with labor law specifics for New York State employers. Speakers will include: Sarah Decker, Community Outreach and Resource Planning Specialist - DOL/Wage & Hour Division; Cynthia Spahl, Regional Enforcement Coordinator for the...

The New York Gaming Commission will hold a hearing Sept. 18 to look into whether or not Steve Asmussen's owner-trainer license should be revoked, the board said via a press release on Thursday. Asmussen has been accused on a number of occasions of violating federal labor laws by failing to pay his workforce overtime. Earlier this week the U.S. Department of Labor obtained a court order requiring Asmussen to pay $243,260 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages (for a total of $486,520) after its investigation found...

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a court order requiring trainer Steve Asmussen to pay $243,260 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages after its investigation found the employer's pay practices denied 163 grooms and hotwalkers at Churchill Downs and at Keeneland racetrack of overtime wages, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Labor Tuesday. The recovery is the latest action brought by the department since 2021 against KDE Equine LLC, operating as Asmussen Racing Stables with about 200 horses in five states. This...

A federal court has ruled that New York-based trainer Danny Gargan must pay $132,631 in back wages and damages to 52 employees. According to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, Gargan failed to pay his workers overtime wages they had earned. The fine includes an assessment of $37,368 in civil money penalties for what the Department of Labor is calling a "willful wage theft and for falsifying records in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act." "The defendants took advantage of their employees by underpaying them...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor have agreed to offer 22,000 additional H-2B visas to employers for the second half of the federal fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. These visas are used by employers, such as racehorse trainers, who seek seasonal guest workers. They are capped at 66,000 annually, with an even split of 33,000 available for each half of the federal government's fiscal year. The additional visas will be made available later this spring or early summer via a temporary final...