NBA refs file against league
 

There's also a nice pic of Joey Crawford with this story.

Refs charge NBA with unfair labor practices - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

"Those include such issues as weight and fitness restrictions, travel issues and anti-discrimination based on race, sex and union activity."

I can see the last two issues (travel and anti-discrimination) as important for the refs, but the first one I feel the NBA has a right to require fitness and possibly weight (% fat?) criteria.

Why do you feel that way? Is it a question of job performance or mere appearance? Obviously, a certain level of fitness or appearance will affect job performance; but then why not just judge based on job performance? Why have additional criteria at all?

You may be right, but those requirements can't just be arbitrary. The union, therefore, may feel that they should be collectively bargained in order to ensure that the requirements are reasonable to the officials affected.

Let me play devil's advocate for a moment. As officials, we are a little subjective regarding NBA officials and are only interested in (and critical of) their performance. What we should remember is that the NBA is entertainment, not pure sport. Their main concern is the perception fans have of the total package. This would include fans downgrading their affection for the game based on any factor they choose, which might include thinking that officials aren't really "up to par" based on their appearance (such as being overweight). While we might think that's ridiculous, it doesn't matter. Fans can stop supporting the league through buying tickets and watching games on TV for any reason they want, including not liking the color of their team's uniforms. This is why we refer to the league as the NBE. It's an entertainment entity just like any television show or live theater performance.

I was always under the opinion that Stern's lockout of the referees last season was a test to see what he could do when it came time to the players. It was only a matter of time before issues would be revisited with the referees themselves.