Would You Accept?

[legend]

If I were ready and got the call...for sure. One of the things that I despise about officiating is politics. I understand the officials are locked out, but why should they be mad at you/me for stepping in and trying to make better for ourselves in that situation. The whole "Lets stand together" deal just drives me crazy. I know that I'll get bashed for this but half of the guys in professional sports either knew someone or had some type of connection to HELP them get there. So if they would look down with anger at me for doing what was best for my family then shame on them.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by legend

If I were ready and got the call...for sure. One of the things that I despise about officiating is politics. I understand the officials are locked out, but why should they be mad at you/me for stepping in and trying to make better for ourselves in that situation. The whole "Lets stand together" deal just drives me crazy. I know that I'll get bashed for this but half of the guys in professional sports either knew someone or had some type of connection to HELP them get there. So if they would look down with anger at me for doing what was best for my family then shame on them.

You obviously never met Joe Forte.....LOL

[just another ref]

I have never understood the "Never, ever, cross a picket line. PERIOD!! " philosophy. The union wants a million dollars and says we get or we walk. Then management finds someone to work and do an acceptable job for $750,000.

This is not a tough decision.

[justacoach]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I live in a heavily union state and any time non-union workers are hired in a building project there are union people that will make it known (They actually put a huge blowup rat that is probably about 20 feet tall in many cases) near the work site.

Peace

Love to see that happen here in VA, or any other right-to-work state...

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Well just so you know, that is not a officiating politics issue, that is a worker, management issue. This would be the same case if this was a skilled worker or a teachers union in a strike or lockout of some kind. Heck I live in a heavily union state and any time non-union workers are hired in a building project there are union people that will make it known (They actually put a huge blowup rat that is probably about 20 feet tall in many cases) near the work site.

Peace

And such attitudes have sent many companies to other places....either to states with right to work laws or even to other countries. Most unions are outdated and no longer serve the purpose for which they were founded. They now walk a fine line between extortion and representing the workers' safety and fair treatment. Detroit is seeing the worst of the affects of unions where they held on so long that the US car makers just couldn't compete against global competition and have lost a enormous share of the world market as a result. Instead of making high wages as the unions have pushed for, now many of those union members are making no wages while someone in Korea has a job. Of course, they'll blame it on the business for being greedy....and then go buy their groceries at the store with the cheapest prices.

[Multiple Sports]

No way.......

I get the impression that there are a lot of D II and III officials on this site............... for those guys they are trying to get to the D I level. Why do they think they could go out and work in the NBA....

Wouldn't be fair to the players / coaches / or fans for me to try to work in the Association...

Also have too much respect for all the hard work those guys have put in to get to that level.......

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

....and then go buy their groceries at the store with the cheapest prices.

Does the name of the store start with a "W"? Maybe the nonunion employees of that store can only afford to buy their groceries there, kind of like the old "Company Store". To misquote Yogi Berra, "It's Catch 22 all over again".

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Most unions are outdated and no longer serve the purpose for which they were founded.

No hot dogs for you on Labor Day.

[amusedofficial]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Most unions are outdated and no longer serve the purpose for which they were founded. They now walk a fine line between extortion and representing the workers' safety and fair treatment. Detroit is seeing the worst of the affects of unions where they held on so long that the US car makers just couldn't compete against global competition.

100 percent bullwash. Unions represent the only opportunity for most Americans to negotiate wages, hours and working conditions. You are force dto join a union the way the country is forced to have a president. It's called democracy. Right to Work is nothing more than a means to allow union busting by denying the workforce the democratic right to establish a union shop through open balloting..

The Unions did not force the Big 3 to make cars nobody wanted. The geniuses in the corporate suite handled that blunder all on their own.

Have a nice weekend. And make sure you thank the American labor movement the people who invented paid holidays, paid vacations, paid health insurance, weekends off and, most importantly right now, Labor Day.

[ref3808]

No. I prefer officiating basketball.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by ref3808

No. I prefer officiating basketball.

+1

You win, thread over.

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by The_Rookie

Since we are in summer mode..thought I would throw this out

If like the NFL, the NBA officials were locked out, would you accept an assignment working NBA games? Why or Why Not?

Nope. You end up screwing yourself and others in the long run.

When I lived in GA from '96-00 some officiating groups worked together to get high schools to raise fees (at the time it was $35 for varsity). It was working well until other groups agreed to work for the going rate and then others agreed to work for $30 per game. Eventually we all lost out.

That being said I do look at the NFL situation differently from the other major sports because they aren't full-time employees of the league (similar to our situation). They have regular jobs and can earn a living. The league doesn't have quite as much leverage.

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

When I lived in GA from '96-00 some officiating groups worked together to get high schools to raise fees (at the time it was $35 for varsity). It was working well until other groups agreed to work for the going rate and then others agreed to work for $30 per game. Eventually we all lost out.

I believe that's called a free market. It's the same as Store A selling a widget for $10, and Store B selling it for $7. Store A can get as mad as they want, but the market is what it is.

To the OP's question, I lean toward "yes." I'm not a big fan of unions, typically due to the sense of entitlement they often emit. (See Camron's Detroit example, and I could cite other local ones that hurt businesses here.) When someone strikes, they simply choose not to work. If someone else wants to work in their place, the striker has no-one to blame but himself.

However, in many ways, our associations/boards are unions. They make the relationships with schools, get and assign the work, negotiate the fees, and train the officials (in varying degrees). They also forbid its members going to schools directly to get work and negotiate fees. That's what's needed for an any association to be effective. If the association is not getting work, though, then it's not being very effective.

If I found a league to be treating officials unacceptably, then of course I wouldn't work for it. It would have to be a damn good reason, though. Otherwise, I'm in. If you don't want to work, I'll gladly serve.