Not only is the NBA negotiating a new contract with the players, but the current referees' contract expires on Sept. 1. AWoj reports that the referees have just fired a shot across the bow: ------------- The National Basketball Referee’s Association has filed charges to the National Labor Relations Board contending that the NBA has violated federal laws by engaging in unfair labor practices, Yahoo! Sports has learned. The charges were outlined in a series of several memos distributed to the NBA’s 60 referees and details what the NBRA describes as "the league’s refusal to negotiate with the union concerning non-economic issues." ..... The memo and filing to the National Labor Relations Board also includes details of an alleged "obscene expression" by commissioner David Stern directed at union negotiators in a Jan. 24 meeting, referee sources said. "When the NRBA representatives declined his demand to delete the obscene expression from their notes, this negotiator abruptly left the room." -------------