Wojnarowski: Refs' union charges NBA with unfair labor practices

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:
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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."
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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."
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about 1 year ago Corvid 6 comments 0 recs |

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Non-economic issues huh?

I have to resist speculation.

There are many professions that will get a fair amount of sympathy when they try to improve their jobs. But referees? That’s going to be a tough nut to crack, whether it’s fair or not. After the first-class flight IRS incidents (which also established that the NBA provides them very nice transportation and per diem benefits), to the studies that show various unresolved tendencies of refs (favoring fouls for the losing team, for a well known example, or some refs who tend to favor or oppose home teams or the Mavs), to the fact that there is simply no transparency for how refs are judged, graded, and replaced as necessary, it leaves them without much sympathy, even in a situation where it may be deserved. I’m not sure wither this is such a situation or not.

On the other hand, I remember that it was even worse with the replacement refs. Those foul calls were crazy. Random note, did you know that the regular refs required first class flight and full size cars, but the replacement refs were required to fly coach, and have mid-sized cars? I’m not sure the regular refs would accept that.

For some reason, I’m really cranky with the refs every time I see a star throw his arms in the air at them and yell, with no call. I really dislike seeing a new rule abandoned after the first month. It’s not helping with my sympathy level for them.

Here, I’ll offer the NBA a resolution: Move the referees to an independent organization, uncontrolled directly by the NBA. Give that organization a negotiated lump sum per season, which they disperse to referees based on performance, with very specific statistical analysis combined with first-hand review of their work. From that point on, the NBA does not control the referees, they work directly with their local management, who then negotiates the yearly lump-sum increases paid by the NBA.

Yes, I know I’m crazy.

by Timmay! on Apr 6, 2011 5:20 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

Kind of thought you might get fired up about this

Yeah, it’s hard to be sympathetic about the refs’ situation. But then, I have a hard time sympathizing with the owners, and to some extent, sympathizing with the players as well.

Anyway, there are a few things I find interesting about this story:

1) David Stern et al are fighting battles on a couple of fronts and it sounds like it’s taking a toll on King David. He’s made some wacky comments in the last few months, for sure. Will that affect negotiations?
2) I’ll speculate here: when the union starts griping about fitness restrictions and talks about discrimination, I’m going to jump to the conclusion that the NBA is still concerned about some of the older guys. Heck, I am too.
3) If the owners and players come to some sort of agreement, that’s great. But you know, that’s all for naught (for a while at least) if the reffing really, really sucks, as it did the the replacement refs.

Didn’t know that stuff about the replacement refs having to fly coach with the rest of us peons, and your suggestion making reffing independent is intriguing — I’m going to give it some thought.

Wiggada Wiggada Zers!

by Corvid on Apr 6, 2011 9:24 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm fairly transparent on this topic. :)

I wish rating and reviewing of referees were a quarter as transparent!

I make no secret that I’m not a big fan of authority without transparency. It breeds everything you don’t want in authorities. If a transparent independent organization ran the refs, you’d see conspiracy theories disappear tomorrow, though you’d have a group who are unhappy when they see the results. There will always be calls that are empirically bad, it’s the nature of the beast. To that level, there is some no-win involved.

But I think a lot of latent tendencies would be reduced over time, and the really tough part is that it would probably remove some longtime referees.

Woj has some good behind the scenes sources, despite his animosity for certain people we know. I presume this is legit of course, and I also assume it runs deeper than he’s describing; you’re absolutely right that this is going to leave Stern worn down. I wonder how many more years he has left. I suspect it’ll be hard for him to give up his (non-transparent) power.

by Timmay! on Apr 7, 2011 12:08 AM PDT up reply actions

In the current economy,

I have a hard time feeling sorry for anyone that has a job, no matter how much they whine about it.

Who's that tromping across my bedge!

by Troll Blazer on Apr 7, 2011 7:26 AM PDT up reply actions

But the claim is that the NBA broke the law.

A weak economy doesn’t give owners carte blanche to do whatever they want.

by Epimenides on Apr 8, 2011 5:01 AM PDT up reply actions

Why didn't you just read the article by clicking on the link?

Then you would know that the non-economic issues were thinks such as anti-discrimination clauses and the security to not be fired for an unknown reason. I don’t think anybody believes that NBA refs are perfect. They suffer from a number a issues and PR problems. However when all the tallies are counted the number of games they ref and the number of judgement calls they make I think that they do a fairly good job. I don’t think it is unreasonable to feel that they are entitled to the ability to negotiate their contracts. I mean we let the players do it and they make millions. These refs aren’t exactly raking in the dough and the amount of time they spend on the road and working is enormous. If they didn’t fly first class they would be dead after a few games.

I’m an umpire and I have a lot of respect for the refs in the NBA they make almost all judgement calls and take flack every call, every game, and get no praise when they are perfect. These refs are people just like you and me and have the right just like any other unionized labor to negotiate their contracts. At least if the Refs strike it won’t matter next season because their wont be any players either.

by PortlandPhil on Apr 6, 2011 9:25 PM PDT reply actions