Announcer sues NYRA over pay
Grandison says he received less than white counterparts
Luis Grandison, a Black Latino who was a Spanishlanguage horse racing announcer for more than 25 years, alleges in a lawsuit that the New York Racing Association paid him a fraction of the salary of white broadcasters because of his race and ethnicity.
Grandison was paid $60,000, while his white counterparts were paid more than double that amount for doing less work, the federal lawsuit alleges.
Tom Durkin, a white English-language announcer, was paid $440,000 before retiring in 2014, and Larry Collmus, also a white Englishlanguage announcer, was paid more than $200,000 before leaving the job earlier this year, according to the lawsuit.
John Imbriale, Collmus’ replacement, also earns more than $200,000 to call races, according to the lawsuit.
One of Grandison’s
attorneys noted that the horse racing heavily relies on a Latino workforce.
“Latinos are a significant part of the racing industry, both as track workers and as racing fans,” Gianfranco Cuadra told the Times Union on Wednesday. “This race discrimination lawsuit is important for the Latino community.”
Grandison was born and raised in Panama, and he was a horse race caller there before moving to the United States in 2009. He became a NYRA announcer in 2014, earning around $32,000 a year, the court papers state.
Grandison called races in Spanish at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course.
When he first worked as an announcer with NYRA, the racing organization’s then-president and CEO Chris Kay said in a press release that they were “thrilled to hire” a “talented” and “enthusiastic individual” like Grandison.
Kay said Grandison’s hiring would “help enhance and personalize the guest experience for our Spanish speaking fan base.”
Years later, Grandison approached his direct supervisors about raising his salary, explaining that it “was far too low for a race caller in the United States,” the lawsuit states.
Grandison explained how, unlike Durkin and Collmus, he had to work during the winter months and was tasked with more duties, such as presenting on NYRA’S Youtube channel and posting regularly on Facebook and Twitter.
His supervisors, Eric Donovan and Antoine Allevato, denied him a raise and asked that he not approach Kay about the matter, according to the lawsuit. Grandison tried again two months later, and Donovan again said no, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states NYRA furloughed Grandison in March 2020, then terminated his employment on June 3, 2020.
The discrimination suit is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
A NYRA spokesman released a prepared statement arguing the organization has “the most diverse broadcast and TV team in the sport of horse racing today, and maintains a fair and equitable workplace for all employees.”
The statement goes on to say NYRA faces “financial challenges” brought on by business interruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “As a result, NYRA was forced to restructure its workforce to sustain essential operations and safeguard the future of the sport in New York.”