The National Football League Referees Association is pointing the finger at the NFL for a breakdown in collective bargaining negotiations this week. According to the NFLRA, talks were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, but ended on Wednesday morning.
“Today, the NFLRA Negotiating Team showed up to what was supposed to be the start of a two-day session with the League to make progress towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Unfortunately, it was soon clear that the NFL did not arrive with the same level of commitment,” NFLRA Executive Director Scott Green said in a statement issued Wednesday night.
According to Green, talks broke down when an NFLRA counteroffer was rejected and the referees association later learned that no one in the NFL delegation at the meeting was authorized to negotiate beyond their original proposal, so the league decided to leave the talks.
“We have come to learn that this is a common negotiation tactic used by the League to seek unreasonable concessions, which we quickly communicated to our members. Though frustrating, it will not disrupt our union’s united position of achieving a fair deal,” Green said. “The NFLRA will continue to bring its dealmakers to the table to secure a CBA that is fair, recognizes the key role that NFL officials play in the league’s success, and provides both sides with the long-term certainty that management, officials, coaches, players and fans deserve.”
NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller responded to Green’s statement by issuing one of his own, saying the union hasn’t engaged in negotiations in a meaningful way.
“We continue to focus on investing in accountability and performance in our officiating,” Miller wrote. “Scott and his team haven’t changed their approach in almost two years, continuing to demand raises at almost double the rates of the increases realized by the players over the course of this CBA and, in addition, millions of dollars in marketing fees that rank-and-file union members never see. We are ready to continue negotiations to reach a fair and reasonable agreement, but in the meantime, while the union refuses to engage in a meaningful way, we will continue to prepare for the expiration of the current agreement because we will be playing football in August.”
The current CBA between the league and referees will expire on May 31, and failure to reach a new deal could result in the league hiring replacement officials. Among the rules proposed for next week’s owners meeting is one that would have members of the league’s officiating department monitor games in New York City to assist on calls, a move possibly in preparation for replacement officials.
The NFL Players Association isn’t involved in the negotiations, but pointed out on Thursday that it is keeping tabs on how they are proceeding. An NFLPA spokesperson issued the following statement: “This is not just a labor issue between the league and officials. This directly impacts the working conditions of our player members. We are closely monitoring the situation.”
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