Am Tote On Strike

[MutuelClerk]

I'm hearing it starts this weekend. Am Tote is about 80% of all tracks if not more. Make sure your pools are defined correctly. The number matches to horse you actually want. And the pool you want is offered. If so, good luck and CRUSH!!!

[AlsoEligible]

did you hear this from a tote worker or just track gossip? either way, it's not true.

[MutuelClerk]

Tote worker. Saw the memo on his phone. Saw the signs. Why do you say it's not true?

[AlsoEligible]

i work for them, and i'm still working this weekend (although I'd love some time off)

truth is that the union and management are in the process negotiating a new deal, and a lot of this is posturing to get the other side to budge. there's no actual work stoppage planned, and it wont come to that. both sides know it would be mutually assured destruction

[MutuelClerk]

Interesting. You were right. Saw our tote guy today. He said they are negotiating still. He's a helluva tote guy on track. Tends to play up the battles a bit. I agree no one wins walking out. He swore a few days ago a strike was on. Thanks for clarifying.

[thespaah]

Mutuel tellers are going to eventually be phased out by machines. Same as toll collectors on roadways.
They are not needed to cash tickets either.
There is a metal scrap yard here that is fully automated.
You cross a scale. And are issued a ticket with the weight of the vehicle. On your way out you weigh again......Another ticket in the form of a voucher is issued. You take the voucher to a station that has a cash machine. You insert the voucher, the machine reads the bar code and spits out the exact amount of cash. No human teller needed.
Back in the day, mutuel tellers had a purpose.
They no longer are needed.
At best, its a low skill job for which slightly over min wage is about it....Bank tellers jobs are more involved. And they get paid less than mutuel tellers. What's up with that?.....

[EMD4ME]

Mutuel tellers are going to eventually be phased out by machines. Same as toll collectors on roadways.
They are not needed to cash tickets either.
There is a metal scrap yard here that is fully automated.
You cross a scale. And are issued a ticket with the weight of the vehicle. On your way out you weigh again......Another ticket in the form of a voucher is issued. You take the voucher to a station that has a cash machine. You insert the voucher, the machine reads the bar code and spits out the exact amount of cash. No human teller needed.
Back in the day, mutuel tellers had a purpose.
They no longer are needed.
At best, its a low skill job for which slightly over min wage is about it....Bank tellers jobs are more involved. And they get paid less than mutuel tellers. What's up with that?.....

At NYRA's longshot's bar, they have a machine in place of a teller to cash vouchers and withdrawal's.

Not one teller. Zero. Yes, there are some tellers outside the area but not one in the area. Sad.

Bank tellers make less than Mcdonald's employees. Sad as well. They too are being replaced by machines OR universal bankers (who handle all banking-not just teller work)

[Stillriledup]

At NYRA's longshot's bar, they have a machine in place of a teller to cash vouchers and withdrawal's.

Not one teller. Zero. Yes, there are some tellers outside the area but not one in the area. Sad.

Bank tellers make less than Mcdonald's employees. Sad as well. They too are being replaced by machines OR universal bankers (who handle all banking-not just teller work)

It's never sad not seeing tellers. The ones who work at tracks these days are mostly old and grumpy, they slow pay you looking for a tip, rarely say you're welcome or thanks for being a customer, I don't miss them at all. The few good ones get a really bad name from many of them.

[MadTiger]

It's never sad not seeing tellers. The ones who work at tracks these days are mostly old and grumpy, they slow pay you looking for a tip, rarely say you're welcome or thanks for being a customer, I don't miss them at all. The few good ones get a really bad name from many of them.

QFT

Excellent customer service :ThmbUp:
Bad attitudes :ThmbDown:

[chiguy]

Don't like jockeys
Don't like trainers
Don't like track announcers
Don't like track management
Don't like mutuel clerks

Really, do you guys like anybody? I have been a part time mutuel clerk for many years as a second job. Just like any other industry there are good people and there are bad people. There are clerks that I have worked with who are super, wonderful people. There are others who could not find a job in any other industry because they are god awful. The job is not hard, nor is it as easy as many of you make it out to be. My overall impression is that most of the bad clerks are just a reflection of the people they have dealt with over the years.

[chiguy]

It's never sad not seeing tellers. The ones who work at tracks these days are mostly old and grumpy, they slow pay you looking for a tip, rarely say you're welcome or thanks for being a customer, I don't miss them at all. The few good ones get a really bad name from many of them.

Got my own money, don't need yours.

[MonmouthParkJoe]

I used to go to tellers all the time, and yes its been said just like any other job there are some good and some bad. I have mine I like to go to all the time, but I always use a self service machine now. I have gotten to know some of them personally and they add to my experience at the track. Quicker and no lines. I dont see tellers ever being phased out because of the casual fan, but do expect to see fewer of them.

[Dave Schwartz]

Really, do you guys like anybody? I have been a part time mutuel clerk for many years as a second job. Just like any other industry there are good people and there are bad people. There are clerks that I have worked with who are super, wonderful people. There are others who could not find a job in any other industry because they are god awful. The job is not hard, nor is it as easy as many of you make it out to be. My overall impression is that most of the bad clerks are just a reflection of the people they have dealt with over the years.

It is just like dealers in the gaming industry (of which I was one). Crap dealers, who worked in a 4-man crew that split tokes, were all about customer service. If one of them wasn't, the other 3 would be hard on him.

But "split-joints" were different. About 20% of the dealers were just not tip-getters, usually because they lacked personality. About half that many were downright abrasive.

Even worked with a guy once (on a crap crew) who would refuse tips. The rest of the crew told him that he wasn't getting an envelope at the end of the night. He went to management and pitched a fit and they made us cut him in.

[cj]

I've always thought the odds are stacked against us enough in gambling that I don't need to be tipping anyone for doing it. So, I just use machines when I go to the track. The guys that want a tip for cashing out my credit voucher are SOL.

[MonmouthParkJoe]

only time I tip is with a signer, thats it. Some place, like Rillito down here, the tellers actually had tip jars in front of them. I laughed. :bang:

[EMD4ME]

I've always thought the odds are stacked against us enough in gambling that I don't need to be tipping anyone for doing it. So, I just use machines when I go to the track. The guys that want a tip for cashing out my credit voucher are SOL.

I agree. I can't tell you how many times I cash out for $4000-$8000 or whatever and I get a look like WOW you killed it.


I tell them I lost a few grand today and they make a face like: You're lying so you don't tip me.

Now, I cash out 1 voucher at a time $1,000 a pop or $2,000 a pop to avoid the mandatory tip.

You can tell when someone is looking for a tip. $2500 voucher. They give you 24 hundreds, 4 twenties, 1 ten and 2 fives. HATE THAT

When a teller just professionally counts out the hundreds, I then ask to break one to tip them for NOT expecting a tip.

[EMD4ME]

only time I tip is with a signer, thats it. Some place, like Rillito down here, the tellers actually had tip jars in front of them. I laughed. :bang:

TIP JARS?????????

I'd cut a blank paper into 20 pieces and write the same thing on all pieces: Don't be cheesy at the track, class gets tips not begging. I'd drop 1 in their jar wrapped underneath a monopoly $100 bill




That'll teach em

[chenoa]

I caught my OTB teller walking around the joint every once in awhile tearing off the DRF cover from abandoned forms. She would return and claim as credit at the end of the night and pocket $5 for everyone she got. She never got a friggin' nickel from me again when I cashed out a voucher.

[Track Collector]

TIP JARS?????????

I'd cut a blank paper into 20 pieces and write the same thing on all pieces: Don't be cheesy at the track, class gets tips not begging. I'd drop 1 in their jar wrapped underneath a monopoly $100 bill




That'll teach em

I don't know about Rillito Park, but at most of the small fairs the tellers are basically volunteers. They may get paid a little something, or receive some small type of compensation, but I suspect it does not even come close to minimum wage. In this case, it is not cheesy to have a tip cup, because a lot of bettors might think they are being paid properly when in fact they are not.

[olddaddy]

Anyone that remembers before the computer generated tickets, know that 90% of the ticket sellers tried to stiff everyone. They either tried to short change you and did the slow count during the payoff. You had to make sure what your payoff was or you were going to get stiffed. Now they run the tickets and the payoffs show up on the screen, if you get stiffed its your fault. Even though its not the current tickets sellers fault, all get nothing from me because of the past.

[Stillriledup]

I've always thought the odds are stacked against us enough in gambling that I don't need to be tipping anyone for doing it. So, I just use machines when I go to the track. The guys that want a tip for cashing out my credit voucher are SOL.

Lol so true!

I've gone to cash out a voucher that was less than what I started with and the teller is like WOW CONGRATULATIONS :D I'm like 'I actually started w X' and he or she is like 'oh' Haha.

[EMD4ME]

That's different. I can understand that. I'm thinking of "other" places .