State or association policy ?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

Ok, what is your groups policy when the following happens.

2 umpires are scheduled, but only one shows up to work the game.The game is worked under a 1 umpire system.

I know the MHSAA has a written policy that states officials who work a contest with less the number of contracted officials shall recieve the pay that official would have gotten. This basically means a 2 person crewed work by one official should get equal to both checks. 3 umpires contracted, 2 work means they split the check.

Several schools have developed their own policy however which pays 50% or less of the agreed pay. I have not seen this challenged with the MHSAA yet.

I do know the MHSAA has not backed me when I should have gotten two checks because I worked alone when 2 umpires were scheduled. Why? The school never responded to the MHSAA's request for comment.

The Rec LEague I work pays 50% of the fee if you work alone when 2 are scheduled. We also get fined if we are late, 25% of the fee the first time late, 50% second time, 100% the third time, and possibly loss of contracted games. You also lose the portion of the game fee as well.

If you miss a scheduled game you are fined 100%, plus loss of the fee (first offence), 2 game fees (plus loss of fee for game (s) missed) for a second offence, and 3 times fee, plus loss game fee (third offence).

Basically we miss a night of games, we work the next night free.

chapmaja:

It seems to me that you are in Michigan (that state up north as we Buckeyes refer to it) and that MHSAA is the MichiganHSAA. And I have never had a school fail to pay per the MichiganHSAA Officials Contract. Member schools of the MichiganHSAA canNOT unilaterally change any portion of the MichiganHSAA Officials Contract.

You do not state how you contacted the MichiganHSAA about a school's failure to live up to its contract obligations. If you just reported the school via a letter to the MichiganHSAA then the school felt no obligation to respond to any inquiry from the MichiganHSAA.

I suggest that you file a MichiganHSAA Officials Game Report (the same form that you complete when you eject a player or coach. This forces the hands of both the MichiganHSAA and the school. It puts a school on record with the MichiganHSAA for breach of contract and forces the MichiganHSAA to take action against the school on your behalf.

If the school fails to fulfill its contract with you, you can always take the school to small claims court. As an extreme measure, you could file a criminal complaint against the school's treasurer for theft of service (in most states it is usually a misdemeanor; in Ohio school treasurers have meet certain legal requirements to hold the position and a criminal conviction of theft of service would cause them to lose their job). I made the threat of theft of service against a school treasurer once and received my check within 48 hours via registered mail, . The school treasurer did not have a contract on file (she refused to accept a copy of my contract or the fact that I had signed the Scorebook and that I was in the game film as proof that I had officiated the game) and would not issue payment without a contract on file and would not issue a contract for a contest that already been played.

MTD, Sr.