District Council 37

American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees

125 Barclay Street
New York, NY 10007
Phone (212) 815-1535 Fax: (212) 815-7535 www.dc37.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Zita Allen

December 10, 2010 Molly Charboneau
Rudy Orozco
212-815-1535

DC 37 DEMONSTRATORS GATHER AT DISTRICT OFFICE OF NYS

SENATOR DEAN G. SKELOS URGING HIM TO SAVE NYC OTB

OTB workers call on Republican Leader State Senator Dean Skelos to reconsider OTB Restructuring
Bill A.42001 that could save NYC OTB’s 1,000 jobs and $100 million in annual revenue.

(New York, N.Y.) – Today from 1 – 3:00 PM, several hundred laid-off members of NYC Off-Track
Betting Employees Corporation Employees Local 2021 of District Council 37, the city’s largest public
employee union, and their supporters demonstrated in front of the District Office of New York State
Senator Dean G. Skelos today.

The former OTB employees gathered in front of Skelos’ office at 55 Front Street, Rockville Centre,
New York 11570 to voice their disappointment over the failure of their New York State Senators Dean
Skelos, Martin J. Golden and Andrew J. Lanza to pass the OTB Restructuring Bill, A. 42001, that would
save NYC OTB and the 1,000 NYC OTB jobs, some 40,000 racing-related jobs statewide, and the
contribution of some $750 in OTB handle to the state’s economy.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts has called this failure of the New York State Republican Party
to act, particularly singling out Skelos, Golden and Lanza, “incredibly heartless.”

Noting that the Senate failure triggered an unconscionable loss of revenue in a state that is already
running a $9 billion deficit by voting down legislation that would mean no cost to either the state or the
city, Roberts adds, “Taxpayers should ask them how they could stand on the floor of the Senate and vote
against a reorganization of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation that would have benefited
both the city and the state, saved over 1,000 jobs here in NYC and safeguarded up to 40,000 racing related
jobs statewide.

“In the political arena we’ve always believed it important to look not at the party affiliation but at the
individual elected official, the policies they’ve espoused and how they impact New York’s workers and
their families,” she stated. “This action makes me feel it’s in the best interest of the members of this union
if we re-think that approach. Our people saw first-hand how heartless some elected officials can be. To
vote on Tuesday to shut down OTB at midnight – just on the eve of what is supposed to be a joyous
holiday season – was cruel. This is the most heartless act I’ve witnessed. We won’t forget it.”

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DC 37 is New York City’s largest public employee union with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees.
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