MLS issues misleading statement on PSRA referee lockout - here are the details
The situation is a lot more nuanced and complicated than MLS' angry statement indicates
As has been widely reported, MLS & PRO are locking out PSRA referees.
MLS stated in a press statement released midday on Saturday that PSRA leadership agreed to a historic collective bargaining agreement with PRO and therefore the league (At this point PRO is effectively a proxy for MLS management- I don’t want to get too down the rabbit hole about that, but they are in actual practice that at this point in terms of this issue).
A proposal was in fact made. But it is one which PSRA's leadership presented to its members without a recommendation for or against - a proposal the members OVERWHELMINGLY rejected with over 95% of the vote.
MLS also states in this communication that referees were to be given a 25% increase in salaries, game fees, benefits etc over last season. This is a complicated issue and people can do math in different ways to get to a more favorable result for their party.
But let me state, especially when it comes to travel for referees which is grueling and often unforgiving, particularly as the season wears on, from my vantage point what I understand PRO/MLS offered was not good enough. I personally agree with the referees decision to reject this offer based on that, not to mention other critical factors.
One of the key issues here is that MLS didn’t finalize its ideas budget-wise until deep in the fall. PRO in turn was not able to start serious negotiations with the PSRA over a new CBA until late in the fall, leaving precious little time to get this done.
Had MLS been able to deal with its budgetary issues at an earlier time, this showdown may have been avoided - or it may not have been. Either way the condensed time schedule certainly did not help matters. And much like MLS’ unwillingness to open up rosters and increase salary cap spending within the parameters of the agreed CBA with the players, this dispute indicates the league isn’t willing to go that extra step to be truly elite. The knock-on effects of these budgetary decisions have muddied the waters over US Open Cup (let’s hope we get a resolution to that this week) while ensuring MLS’ season begins with replacement referees, who are almost certain to be subpar.
This comes at a time when MLS’ own hubris about the relative importance of the league in the global football landscape has reached a fever pitch. This also coincides with an era of record growth for the game domestically. If MLS is doing as well as it appears, why exactly are both players and referees being shortchanged?
On the subject of replacement referees, I have some thoughts that I will put into a piece in the next 24-48 hours. I would preface that discussion by saying I do not believe the experience of the 2014 season is that instructive. I believe this situation is more complicated and this time around due to a myriad of factors including MLS’ own scheduling practices because of its Apple TV deal.
Get ready for a NFL 2012 situation, which took until after the end of the 3rd week of the NFL season, and every media partner of the NFL deriding them after the 'Fail Mary' Monday Night Football ending, that Goddell and co realized the referees they had locked out were better than the replacements. Week 3 of that season had so many egregious errors, and yet the NFL was happy to continue using the replacement refs...until that said fail mary. I expect this to last longer.
Frankly MLS should have 0 say in these referee negotiations, but it should all be done via the USSF. The referees should only be negotiating with MLS, and USSF should continue to slap back MLS and tell them they get 0 say in the matter. These are USSF licensed referees, not MLS licensed. At the very least the referees should be getting all travel covered in no worse than Economy Plus and have Hotel expenses covered. This isn't like a European nation where one can hop a train or get in their car and be at the ground in 3-4 hours and be in their own bed that night (if they so choose).
Also USSF needs to strongly admonish any league entity grading the referees on their own. The only grading that should matter should come from the USSF referee match assessor. Reports need to go to USSF with all recommendations about players and coaches that should be suspended for going to far with the referees and MLS should have 0 says in the appeal process. Same should be said with red cards.
I also think MLS isn't thrilled they are losing the power of PRO. It was one of those things that originally was a good idea in theory, but was destroyed in practice by the poisoning via MLS. I know what 'the MLS only press' is trying to spin as fact, but they live in a MAGA reality (aka it isn't real).
The reality is about the only thing that's going to get movement on this is Messi saying something to the effect of 'and you see why I think this is a minor league...they think scab refs are good'. This is yet another MLS temper tantrum, one that USSF should have never allowed to happen in the first place.
It's rather embarrassing President Cone has to continue to clean up MLS messes. But at the same time, despite what the murmurs are, I still firmly believe President Cone believes she can't handle the rest of the structure until she gets MLS back in line and is doing so, all the while MLS throws temper tantrums and kicks and screams like a 2 year old having to get back in alignment with reality.
It would be great to have some comparison of the pay and accommodations for MLS Refs relative to the other professional leagues --not just USL or NWSL, but also NHL. NHL would be an especially interesting comparison, since MLS team valuations are said to now rival or exceed that of many NHL teams.