NFHS softball rain-out pay
 

I was scheduled to work a NFHS softball tourney today. We were supposed to work 3 games straight but got rained out in the fourth inning of the first game. My question is what pay do you typically get paid when you get rained out. We all turned back in our checks to the school, since they paid us for 3 games beforehand. They are trying to figure out what is fair. My partner and I travelled only 1 mile to the game. The umpires on the other field travelled about 50 miles. Any ideas? Dave

If the games starts, we get full pay. Travel (mileage) at least should be paid for rainouts.

Here, if a pitch is thrown we get full pay for that game only. The second game is just a loss. Mileage should be paid in full. If we get there and the game is called by game management before the game starts - we get a show-up fee (I think that's $20) and of course mileage should be paid as well.

Buddy, that's not what GHSA says. If you have been getting it, good for you; but you may get bit, too.

The GHSA (Georgia High School Association) By-Law states that if umpires arrive, and the game never starts, they are entitled only to whatever travel pay would be normally paid. If the game starts, but is not a regulation game, you get half pay. Only regulation games get full pay.

See page 38 of http://ghsa.net/files/documents/Consti06-07BIG.pdf

Here in NYS, it depends where you are, as each 'section' has separate contracts with their officials..here in NY Section 9 it is:

Show up with no game: travel fee of 1/2 game fee

One pitch: full game fee

no 'travel' fees here, as each county does its own scheduling, so 'normally' no one travels more than 30 miles or so for games...with exceptions of course!

Here, in my part of Texas, if you show and then game is cancelled, you are paid travel, both ways, and game fee. Usually scheduler sends you back
for the make up too....:D

Up here under the midnight sun we schedule three games per night. If the game is canceled for any reason where it is too late to notify the umpire before he or she heads to the field, the umpire gets paid for the game. Also, umpires are guaranteed to get paid for two games, even if something comes up and they only work one, or even none.

In MN, if we show up and don't start, we get 50%. If we start the game and don't finish, no matter the inning, we get 67%. The completion of the game, will get 67% as well.

When do you get a full game fee? Or, do you mean when you have to return to complete an incomplete game?

Full game fee for completing a full game.

Almost all (I think I got paid on the field once in 35 games this past HS season), pay by voucher. So, if we show up and don't start the game, the voucher indicates that and we get paid half. If we start the game, the voucher indicates that as well and we get paid 2/3. If we come back (the same officials will not always return to complete a suspended game), we will get 2/3 again.

None of the officials I know like the voucher system, since some schools will take over 2 months to pay. But the schools use it to have a paper trail for the IRS. At least, that is the reason I have been told they use the voucher system.

One school district pays at the end of the season... and they pay through the association with no game vouchers, so the school has no clue for IRS reporting which umpires did which games!

If the IRS paper trail is the reason, in addition to the above example, you might ask why it is not used for many baseball umpires? Maybe the baseball umpire associations are stronger or have longer history and won't agree with the voucher system.

It is money management, pure and simple... keep the money as long as possible.

Same in this part of Texas as well.

Here, in my part of Pa, we get full pay if the game starts. If we make the trip and the game is postponed before starting, we get $10. "Travel money" or "mileage"?!?! - nothing like that exists here. We'd be more than willing to take lower game fees if they were paying travel monies.

[I]Isn't that the truth! I would be a VERY happy camper if we got mileage. I travel on the average up to 20 miles minimum for baseball with a maximum travel of 86 miles one way for our baseball and softball games. Wrestling season is just as bad our worse!:eek:

Yeah....but what do you PA guys get for a game fee? In Texas, the game fee is $35.00 a game plus .425 for mileage. If your single game fee is substantially more, then it is really just a wash.