Asignor Fees...

[chuckfan1]

There have been a couple topics on here about game fees, etc, so with the season starting up soon, was curious about assignor fees around the country, and whether you agree with the amount, especially with the advent of making assigning more streamlined via the internet.
Here in So Cal, HS fees are $3 per game per umpire. So, with two umpires, the assignor is making 6$ per game. To me, seems high. What say others?

[Tim C]

In my association EACH umpire pays 11% of each game fee.

This means our assigning secretary makes from $9 to $11 per game for assigining.

We are also assigned our games from the website and some umpires do not speak with the assignor ever.

Tee

[Lawrence_Dorsey]

My FED Assignor gets $45 a year which is a bargain compared to other FED associations in NC. I know that one other assignor deducts 1 game fee per sport per season from each official as his payment. We pay $75 for American Legion but we usually get more games than the FED season so it's pretty comparable on a per game basis.

Lawrence

[FVB9]

Originally posted by Tim C
In my association EACH umpire pays 11% of each game fee.

This means our assigning secretary makes from $9 to $11 per game for assigining.

We are also assigned our games from the website and some umpires do not speak with the assignor ever.

Tee

Tee, I assign about 9 million games in Chicago (or so it seems). While the rates you mention sound comparable to us, it is not the umpire who pays the fee, it's the leagues and schools. We ensure that the umpires are getting rates at or above scale so they don't have the same perception you do...that they are paying our fees. The schools don't have issue, and some of the summer leagues scowl at it, but we position it to them as a convenience fee and they buy in.

Another thing to keep in mind is the amount of time spent by the Assignment Chair negotiating rates, keying in schedules, answering frivolous emails, getting calls at home at nite, and on and on. And as far as the web goes...I too do all of my assigning via the web, and there are some days where I step back and tell myself the Unabomber was on to something! Technology's not all that it's cracked up to be at times.

Some Assignors I know put their entire schedule on the Arbiter on a first come, first serve basis. The ones who should be upset about that are the clients, not the umpires.

My only point is I don't think too many people understand all that goes into assigning when it's done right. And that the individual umpires should not be rubbed by the fees the Assignor gets unless they feel they are getting sub-market rates.

JC

[Tim C]

Having assigned myself I understand what can happen.

Let me be more precise:

Before we went to web based assigning our secretary did it all by hand, each umpire called in to get assignments, assignment changes were by phone, our assignor is also involved in the "Inter-league council" for establishing fees, he also handles all press calls, coach calls, fan calls, and disgruntled umpire calls, he is also a member of the Oregon State Officials Board (as a chairman).

The majority of our games are assigned by the assingor and thought goes into it. We also have a limited number of games that are listed under "self assigning."

I have no problem with the fees that the umpire members of our group pay. A critical issue is also tied to this: the assignor collects all game fess from schools (and summer programs) before we call a pitch at that school (team). We are then paid 8 times a year by the association and 1099'd at year's end.

This means we are NEVER stiffed and get paid every time for every game.

Our association also sponsers a four year baseball scholarship for the select scholar athlete as selected by our group each year.

We also fund a year end banquet and bring in an outside speaker.

We have had as much as $700,000 pass through the association during one year.

I have never worked in a situation where there is not a single person assigning and have never worked without an association of umpires.

Sorry for giving so much detail but I want the original question to include that our assigning Comissioner does not sit around and smoke cigars and eat bonbons all day.

T

[FVB9]

Tee, I hear ya...it sounds like a real well run organization.

[DG]

For HS it's $75 per season. My assignor assigns for over 60 schools, varsity and JV and although he assigns via email I still talk with him regularly, due to rainouts, fill-ins, etc. He also works a full D-1 schedule and I don't know how he does it all.

For Legion it's $75 also. About as many games as the HS season, although better baseball. Same assignor and I still talk with him regularly.

I also work Adult games ($50) and College ($300) with different assignors, and miscellaneous other games that I don't pay a booking fee for but the bulk of my work is HS and Legion.

Except for the college fee I think all the others were bargains.

[Mike Walsh]

Originally posted by chuckfan1
There have been a couple topics on here about game fees, etc, so with the season starting up soon, was curious about assignor fees around the country, and whether you agree with the amount, especially with the advent of making assigning more streamlined via the internet.
Here in So Cal, HS fees are $3 per game per umpire. So, with two umpires, the assignor is making 6$ per game. To me, seems high. What say others?

My asssociation charges 7% for HS games, and 10% for independent games. We are looking at other approaches. Personnaly, I'd like to see the leagues pay the assignor, even if it means a lower gross game fee with the same net. An interesting option under consideration is a flat rate. The more games you do, the lower the per game percentage. It appeals to the assignor, because there is an incentive to do more games. Eventually you get to a point where the whole game fee is yours. As far as I'm concerned, the assignor does not make enough to make me ever want the job.

Mike

[AAUA96]

I belong to several associations.

Association A - For HS, the assignor gets 10% of the game fee (HS Varsity is $65; JV is $55). For Summer Ball, the Assignor gets $20 per umpire (as part of the dues structure) AND $3 per game from the league (Legion and 17-18 is $60; 15-16 is $55; 13-14 is $50). For Fall Ball, the Assignor gets $5 per umpire (as part of the dues structure) AND $3 per game from the league (all games are $55). There is only one $3 scheduling fee per game - no matter how many times it is rescheduled or postponed. Dues are $70 per year (part of this is for the Summer and Fall umpire fees from above).

Association B - A straight 10% of all game fees (Summer College League is $85; Legion is $65). Dues are $50.

Association C - A straight 10% of all game fees (NCAA Div III is $130). Dues are $100.

So for HS I net $58.50; Legion $59 or $60; 15-16 $55; 13-14 $50; Summer College $76.50; Div III $117.

I assign the HS - 2005 was 291 games for $3,120.25. I fill in for the summer assigner when he is on vacation. I would not touch that job for twice what he gets paid.

Walt

[Lawrence_Dorsey]

While we have to pay association dues, our booking agent also is paid by the schools. He gets a flat-fee per season from each participating school. I am sure the Legion assigner also is paid by the clubs in our area for assigning umpires as well. His job has gotten more difficult each year as we haven't added many Sr. Legion teams but several new Jr. Legion teams appear each year.

Lawrence

[umpbrian]

Our area is the same as LD. In both HS and summer ball each of the assignors is paid by the member institutions. Generally they receive around $400 per year.

[BT_Blue]

just like Chuck said, the assigning fees down here in LA are $3 per game paid by the umpire during the season. I have it under good athority that the fees will be going up by a dollar a game sometime with in the next year or two. I personally dont really mind the fees since for the most part I have found that my assignors dont work that many games on their own and the duty of assigning is a long and tedious one. Not to mention you have to deal with people like myself that call once a week (ok, sometimes more than that) seeing if there are any games to pick up.

For the almost 3 to 5 hundred dollars I earn during the FED season alone... I have no problem giving up 60 of it.

[Rick Vietti]

I am not sure how baseball works in So Cal but I worked basketball one season there when I had a temporary job assignment and they also charged $3 per assignment.

My only gripe to that was you had to pay it in advance once you received your assignments or your games were pulled.

[Tim C]

That is an interesting system. However as I look at my own group I see the following:

The Assignor gets ALL the money for game fees before a season starts.

I get assigned games and work them.

I am paid by an association check and my "game fees" have been deducted.

So, since the Assignor has the money BEFORE a game is played and I get paid AFTER, I guess you would say that I pay my fee BEFORE I umpire the game --

This is a stretch but our system is "kinda sorta" like what you faced in your example.

Tee

[Rick Vietti]

Tim - In the basketball association the schools paid you directly and you paid the assignor directly.

I do not have a problem paying assignment fees and since the schools paid officials directly, then the assigners fees would also need to be paid directly to the assigner.

The problem came in that you have to come up with the money before you ever work a game. In the case of basketball you could be assigned lets say 100 games for the season. You would need to pay the assignor $300 before the season even started and before you ever receive a check.

Tough thing to sell new officials on when you are trying to recruit.