What the public doesn't know about the union ref negotiations

[bruce4life]

That the union is trying come away with a kings ransom at the negotiation table. Here is a list of items the union is trying to get away with:

1) union is haggling over an extra 75-80 million over 6 years
2) they want full pension plan for part time work. ( full time employees in major corporations do not eve have that)
3) want tw NFL to put money into 401k plan
4) wants it to make it harder to fire older referees like the MLB union where you have 65-70 year old umpires with fat beer bellies calling balls n strikes.


I empathize with roger goodwill because I understand the NFLs position against the union. The NFL should not and will not be bullied against the unions.

[AvengerRam]

In a vacuum, that certainly seems like a lot to ask for.

However, if the replacement crews continue to botch calls like they did last night, the real refs' bargaining position will be enhanced.

If the fans truly start to react with their wallets, the ref's asking price would be a bargain to the NFL (a multi-BILLION dollar business).

So, in the end, its like any other negotiation.

As a fan, I'm not interested in the details. I just want the highest quality product on the field. Right now, that's now what we have.

[r8rh8rmike]

As a fan, I'm not interested in the details. I just want the highest quality product on the field. Right now, that's now what we have.

Packers Guard T.J. Lang agrees and tweeted this:

"Got [expletive] by the refs.. Embarrassing. Thanks nfl," Lang first fired off.

Then, shortly after, the offensive lineman followed up with, "[Expletive] it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs".

[Rambos]

That the union is trying come away with a kings ransom at the negotiation table. Here is a list of items the union is trying to get away with:

1) union is haggling over an extra 75-80 million over 6 years
2) they want full pension plan for part time work. ( full time employees in major corporations do not eve have that)
3) want tw NFL to put money into 401k plan
4) wants it to make it harder to fire older referees like the MLB union where you have 65-70 year old umpires with fat beer bellies calling balls n strikes.


I empathize with roger goodwill because I understand the NFLs position against the union. The NFL should not and will not be bullied against the unions.

Last time I looked this is not coming out of any of my taxes. The money is coming from the NFL's pile of cash and it's not going to make a dent. The NFL will not be bully because we are all on the crack and we can't turn off this crap. The Rams have already been ripped in the first game and more bad calls will cause more unhappy fans as we go. The stakes get higher every week.

The NFL talks about safety and from what I see happen is every man for himself out there. There are so many cheap shot and guys trying to defend themselves it won't be long before someone is not going to get up or have a career ending injury.

If the NFL had one ounce of integrity they would not be playing games with these refs period and if that meant a work stoppage then so be it. But they are all greedy beyond belief and are destroying the game.

[BrokenWing]

Once upon a time car companies and air lines had a pile of cash too and they caved to demands not unlike these. Both have gone bankrupt and are weighed down by pension plans for people who haven't worked in 30 years.

[r8rh8rmike]

The NFL talks about safety and from what I see happen is every man for himself out there. There are so many cheap shot and guys trying to defend themselves it won't be long before someone is not going to get up or have a career ending injury.

Yep, the hypocracy is boiling over, as are tempers on the field. You would think the potential for someone getting seriously injured would facilitate the NFL to act, but that doesn't look to be the case. Hopefully, it doesn't take a player being carted off the field unconscious or with no movement for something to give.

The glaring spotlight on the ineptitude of the replacement officials gets brighter and brighter, while the NFL digs their heels in deeper and deeper.

[Azul e Oro]

That the union is trying come away with a kings ransom at the negotiation table. Here is a list of items the union is trying to get away with:

1) union is haggling over an extra 75-80 million over 6 years
2) they want full pension plan for part time work. ( full time employees in major corporations do not eve have that)
3) want tw NFL to put money into 401k plan
4) wants it to make it harder to fire older referees like the MLB union where you have 65-70 year old umpires with fat beer bellies calling balls n strikes.


I empathize with roger goodwill because I understand the NFLs position against the union. The NFL should not and will not be bullied against the unions.

I don't think that's entirely fair from what I've heard/read. The zebs want their pay to reflect the rates for other officials in other sports. I'll have to search for the numbers but, even taking into account the smaller number of games, it looked like the NFL refs were well below the "industry" standard. The physicality of their job is undeniably greater than that of any of the other major sports who are better paid.I can see their beef there.

I also read that the zebs WANT to be made full-time, justifying a pension plan, & the NFL wants to simply add extra units so they actually work fewer games. A lot cheaper for the NFL in the long run &, imo, worse for the fans & players who see less experience & consistency on the field. We have already seen how that affects player safety and the fairness of the results. Do you really want that to go on so the ultra-profitable business of the NFL can save money ?

[sosa39rams]

Once upon a time car companies and air lines had a pile of cash too and they caved to demands not unlike these. Both have gone bankrupt and are weighed down by pension plans for people who haven't worked in 30 years.

A difference between car companies and air lines? There are MILLIONS of car companies and air lines fighting for revenue. What could possibly steal profit from the NFL? The CFL LOL? There is simply a MASSIVE demand, and its going down with the embarrassment that they are displaying right now. The NFL is only hurting itself by doing this.

[AvengerRam]

Once upon a time car companies and air lines had a pile of cash too and they caved to demands not unlike these. Both have gone bankrupt and are weighed down by pension plans for people who haven't worked in 30 years.

According to Peter King, the two sides are $3.3 million apart. I hardly think the price of a 4 year contract for a better than average placekicker will make or break the league.

[Rambos]

According to Peter King, the two sides are $3.3 million apart. I hardly think the price of a 4 year contract for a better than average placekicker will make or break the league.

That's just rubbing salt in the wound Av.

[r8rh8rmike]

According to Peter King, the two sides are $3.3 million apart.

$3.3 million, in a multi-billion dollar business. This entire issue is absolutely ridiculous.

[berg8309]

$3.3 million, in a multi-billion dollar business. This entire issue is absolutely ridiculous.

No matter how large a business is, $3.3 mil is never a drop in the bucket. It's a substantial amount of money. Businessmen don't make money by throwing away $3mil like its nothing. You know how groceries don't cost that much inidivudually, but when you add them all up you can get quite a hefty bill? Same thing, even when talking about millions/billions. I can understand why the NFL doesn't just hand it over.

[Rambos]

No matter how large a business is, $3.3 mil is never a drop in the bucket. It's a substantial amount of money. Businessmen don't make money by throwing away $3mil like its nothing. You know how groceries don't cost that much inidivudually, but when you add them all up you can get quite a hefty bill? Same thing, even when talking about millions/billions. I can understand why the NFL doesn't just hand it over.

To be more accurate when it comes to NFL money, 3.3 Mil is more like a drop in a pool rather then a bucket.

[Azul e Oro]

No matter how large a business is, $3.3 mil is never a drop in the bucket. It's a substantial amount of money. Businessmen don't make money by throwing away $3mil like its nothing. You know how groceries don't cost that much inidivudually, but when you add them all up you can get quite a hefty bill? Same thing, even when talking about millions/billions. I can understand why the NFL doesn't just hand it over.

Yes, businessmen & their lawyers do fret over every dollar spent to comply with laws governing fair compensation, workplace safety,the integrity of their product , and react to any request for fairness with general bullying from a billion dollar monopoly owned by less than a hundred multi-millionaires, don't they ? These guys aren't protecting stockholder dividends or battling a threat to the future financial stability of their business; they're just reflexively greedy.We saw the numbers during the NFLPA lockout; $3.3 mill is a laughably small amount of money on that scale.

What's your solution ? 22 Chinese child refs who can be paid in rice and pocket change, each responsible for a single player ? If one gets squashed by a charging Steven Jackson, just toss him in the trash with the empty gatorade bottles.Plenty of cheap replacements who won't complain.

[AvengerRam]

The operative question is... how much can the league expect the replacement refs to cost them?

Will they impact ticket sales?
Will they impact TV ratings?

The moment the league answers one of those questions with a "yes," $3.3 million will be a drop in the bucket.