Was it too much?

[Rita C]

I was scheduled to work a doubleheader on Sunday. It rained so hard that we only got in about 2 innings.

Today I received a check for both games. Is this the standard? I would have expected only payment for the one game.

Rita

[SanDiegoSteve]

Traditionaly you would only be paid for the game that you started. If they paid you for two you may want to check with whoever it was that paid you. They may have paid you for two games on purpose.

[jicecone]

Originally Posted by Rita C

I was scheduled to work a doubleheader on Sunday. It rained so hard that we only got in about 2 innings.

Today I received a check for both games. Is this the standard? I would have expected only payment for the one game.

Rita

This happened to me a couple of times in the past when I was doing NCAA ball. We would receive the checks upfront at home plate.

I asked my assignor and was told that it was easier to take and cash the checks, then to try and get them redone in the system.

It kind of evened out on those bad weather days that took like 10 hrs to get a double header in. (That included travel time)

[gordon30307]

Originally Posted by Rita C

I was scheduled to work a doubleheader on Sunday. It rained so hard that we only got in about 2 innings.

Today I received a check for both games. Is this the standard? I would have expected only payment for the one game.

Rita

The baseball gods will punish you soon enough. They want the books to balance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Rita C

I was scheduled to work a doubleheader on Sunday. It rained so hard that we only got in about 2 innings.

Today I received a check for both games. Is this the standard? I would have expected only payment for the one game.

Rita

Are you sure one of thsoe checks wasn't for Canadaump's rainout?

[UmpLarryJohnson]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Are you sure one of thsoe checks wasn't for Canadaump's rainout?

R.O.T.F.L.


niiiiiiiiiiiiiice

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Rita C

I was scheduled to work a doubleheader on Sunday. It rained so hard that we only got in about 2 innings.

Today I received a check for both games. Is this the standard? I would have expected only payment for the one game.

Rita

Yes. It was "too much."

Personally, I would contact whoever issued the check prior to cashing it and inform them that you worked only one game. They will either re-issue a check or tell you to keep the one you have. Let them make the decision.

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Yes. It was "too much."

Personally, I would contact whoever issued the check prior to cashing it and inform them that you worked only one game. They will either re-issue a check or tell you to keep the one you have. Let them make the decision.

How the Sam Heck do you know that "it's too much"? Itks not for us in the same sitch, we get pd by assignment not innings or good weathwer. Mebbe Rita belongs to a real ump org that demands as much from its membersas it gets for their umpires.

[Steven Tyler]

Originally Posted by Rita C

I was scheduled to work a doubleheader on Sunday. It rained so hard that we only got in about 2 innings.

Today I received a check for both games. Is this the standard? I would have expected only payment for the one game.

Rita

I wouldn't sweat it. Cash the check, pocket the money and not worry about it. Unless you know for sure how they pay the umpires, I'd assume that is their policy to pay you games you were scheduled, showed up for, but were rained out. Once you started the first game, I suppose they considered you were on the clock for the whole day. Different leagues, different policies. They could have been paying you out of courtesy. The people that write the checks should know both games didn't get played.

I suggest you do what makes you feel the best.

[piaa_ump]

I'd make a call to the league and find out what the policy is.......I would attempt to return the one check.....if they dont accept it fine, but its an effort that will ensure good relationships....

This summer I had a game that we were paid in full and in advance of the first pitch......3 innings later we were rained out.....In this league we get $20for showing up and 3 an inning if not a complete game. My partner and I went to the official and gave back our $45 dollar fee to be exchanged for the $29 we were owed......

I dont umpire for free, but I dont take what I'm not due either.......

[gordon30307]

Originally Posted by piaa_ump

I'd make a call to the league and find out what the policy is.......I would attempt to return the one check.....if they dont accept it fine, but its an effort that will ensure good relationships....

This summer I had a game that we were paid in full and in advance of the first pitch......3 innings later we were rained out.....In this league we get $20for showing up and 3 an inning if not a complete game. My partner and I went to the official and gave back our $45 dollar fee to be exchanged for the $29 we were owed......

I dont umpire for free, but I dont take what I'm not due either.......

A contract is a contract. That being said this is a bad one. In my neck of the woods once one pitch is thrown and the heavens open up we get paid for the full game. Pitch not thrown and we are there we get a traveling fee typically $20 or $25. Your association needs to make some changes.

[jicecone]

Originally Posted by gordon30307

A contract is a contract. That being said this is a bad one. In my neck of the woods once one pitch is thrown and the heavens open up we get paid for the full game. Pitch not thrown and we are there we get a traveling fee typically $20 or $25. Your association needs to make some changes.

Similar to how we used to handle it. Pitch thrown, full fee. Short , incomplete, rain or extra innings, full fee.

If scheduled for a game and you don't receive a call and show up, full fee.

No pitch thrown, you get a travel fee.

All games were paid through the association, which made it easier to handle any money problems with a particular game or league.

[TxUmp]

Originally Posted by jicecone

All games were paid through the association, which made it easier to handle any money problems with a particular game or league.

You may be facing legal problems by having your games paid by your association. We had legal advice that such a procedure would open us up to tax problems.

[Tim C]

Pete asked:

"Tee is your association going to lose officials over this new legislation?

"Also, will the Fees increase to compensate the officials for the increase in tax?"

What a great question and I do not know how to answer it . . . yet.

First:

There will be no increase of a game fee to cover these costs. The school districts feel that what happens to individual umpires is that person responsibility and not theirs.

The schools in Oregon turned down umpire based requests for an additional $5.00 per game added to our new increase (which is the largest in Oregon history) in an attempt to even our fees to non-school based games. We will make slighly over $50 per game this year for our largest sized schools.

And fees from the state will be deduction to this already too low price.

Second:

We will certainly lose umpires. We fight every year to break even with umpires that leave the area, decide to not umpire and even die . . . this will cripple us yet again.

The basic rule we find in recruiting is that is the economy is good in an area then it is very difficult to get new officials. In areas where an economy hiccoughs we find there to be more bodies looking to officiate.

In closing:

The Oregon State Department of Employment gave the following test to determine if the officials in Oregon are employees:

1- Do you have to pay a fee to work for this association (company)?

2- Does that association (company) train you to perform your task?

3- Does that association (company) write you a paycheck for doing that task?

4- Does that association (company) have a singular contact with the clients you serve.

So in Oregon:

We pay fees for our NFHS packet and a fee to join the association. So we are a company on point one according to the OSDE.

We train all our umpires extensively on rules and mechanics . . . we even train them in game management. So we are a company on point two according to the OSDE.

As explained earlier our association receives payment for all schools before we see a pitch. We are then paid about 4 or 5 times a season by a check drawn on the account of the Portland Baseball Umpires Association (this is how all associations in the state do it). We receive a check from our employer. So we are a company on point three according to the OSDE.

In Oregon the ONLY way you can get an assignment for a varsity baseball game is to be assigned by an association. (I leave wiggle room here for sub-varsity games that are at times officiated by non-NFHS certified officials because there is a shortage of umpires). The associations have exclusive contact with schools in term of assignment of game officials. So we are a company on point four according to the OSDE.

Just as information: The PBUA does have a legally binding sub-contractor agreement that is required from each umpire that works in our association.

Regards,

[d26]

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1779.pdf
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15a.pdf
http://www.naso.org/rprt/SpecReptIndCont.pdf
http://www.edd.ca.gov/taxrep/de231aa.pdf

To make officials legally IC's without the hassle of recurring questions, an exception statute will probably be needed.