Scab Refs

[Lenina Rosenweg]

I'm not a huge sports fan but as many know there is a referee strike in the NFL ( main US football league) and they are hiring scab refs. In turn the scans have been horrible at their job and this has been creating widespread anger though out the US among people not involved in the left. My organisation has produced a very good article on which seems to be having an impact.



Scab Refs and the NFL's 1%


Sep 20, 2012
By Ryan Reilly

The NFL began the second week of the regular season by announcing they would be using so-called “replacement refs” through at the least the fifth week of the season. As fans and commentators discussed the blown calls and questionable officiating, the NFL seemed to be hunkering down for the long haul. Unfortunately for fans, the referee lockout does not look to be ending soon.
Why are the refs locked out? What is it all about? The owners would have us believe that the National Football League Referee Association is too greedy. Nothing could be further from the truth. NFL refs are the only major sports officials in North America who work part time. The 119 refs all have off-season jobs.
The major contention point is the pension system. Currently the referees get a defined benefit pension program where they are guaranteed a set amount of money after they retire. The owners are insisting that the refs accept a 401K contributions system instead therefore leaving their retirement funds susceptible to the unpredictable stock market. As millions of Americans have learned in recent years, this is a recipe for disaster.
All told, the refs are asking for wage, benefit, and pension increases that would amount to $16 million over the course of a new five-year contract. That number may seem like a lot, but that averages out to only about $500,000 per team. That is nothing compared to the projected revenue that the owners and the NFL are expected to see.

http://www.socialistalternative.org/news/article14.php?id=1943

[The Douche]

The calls by the scabs really have been fucking terrible.

[L.A.P.]

I, of course, fully support the striking refs and agree it's just shitty to see an unfair game be presided over. However, it kind of sickens me a bit to see the only time the media and public root for a union (public relations people on CNN saying how the NFL makes enough money so it should just meet the refs' demands) is to upkeep their spectacle.

[The Douche]

I, of course, fully support the striking refs and agree it's just shitty to see an unfair game be presided over. However, it kind of sickens me a bit to see the only time the media and public are rooting for a union (public relations people on CNN saying how the NFL makes enough money so it should just meet the refs' demands) is to upkeep their spectacle.

Oh, no doubt, my Facebook feed has seen some interesting arguments recently.

[Red Commissar]

The calls by the scabs really have been fucking terrible.

Yup, that game between Seattle and Green Bay is a pretty good example of this.

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People have definitely been getting frustrated with the NFL's use of replacement refs, and interestingly enough it seems that it's not going for the usual "overwhelming" public opinion against the strikers for causing that situation. More divided this time around. Although some guy in the NFL basically said that it isn't concerning them what fans say, since the same will probably still tune into the games and buy tickets...

If *only* people would be as open minded about when the teachers or other folk go on strike.

[Sir Comradical]

Idiotic game this American "football" and yes, fuck scabs.

[Prometeo liberado]

I have it on good opinion that these scabs are the reason why the L.A. Dodgers have had such a disappointing end to their season. Sure the Dodgers play baseball and the scabs work football, but there is a definite psychological thing going on here. Those mighty Dodgers are a sensitive bunch for sure.:(

[PC LOAD LETTER]

I'll just leave this here. Saw it on reddit earlier today.


http://deadspin.com/5946112/




Because of the LFL's perception it is that much more critical for us to hire officiating crews that are competent, not only for the credibility of our game but to keep our athletes safer. Due to several on-field incompetent officiating we chose to part ways with with a couple crews which apparently are now officiating in the NFL. We have a lot of respect for our officials but we felt the officiating was not in line with our expectations.
We have not made public comment to date because we felt it was not our place to do so. However in light of tonight's event, we felt it was only fair that NFL fans knew the truth as to who are officiating these games.




also http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/07/pereira-says-nfl-is-embellishing-the-credentials-of-replacement-officials/


So, basically, they hired scabs that were fired from their previous ref jobs for incompetence.
[/URL][URL="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/07/pereira-says-nfl-is-embellishing-the-credentials-of-replacement-officials/"] (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/07/pereira-says-nfl-is-embellishing-the-credentials-of-replacement-officials/)

[The Douche]

There was this, as well:

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Which I found quite amusing as a ravens fan.

[Ocean Seal]

I guess this is cause they were actually able to hire scabs. And the scabs are unprofessional. If they didn't get the scabs and the game couldn't continue, people would be blaming the refs. Anyway, there do seem to be quite a few people supporting the strikes these days. I guess the times are changing. IIRC, outside of Chi-town the teachers strike was poorly perceived, but inside the people are leaning towards supporting them.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Well, the lock-out is over and, according to USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/story/2012/09/27/nfl-referees-end-lockout-after-reaching-new-labor-deal/57846906/1), it looks to me like the referees came out the victors of the dispute:


-- The defined pension plan will remain in place through the 2016 season or until the official reaches 20 years or service. After that, the 401(k) kicks in for all officials, with an average league contribution of $18,000 increased to an average of $23,000 by 2019.

-- Salaries will increase from an average of $149,000 last year to $173,000 in 2013 and up to $205,000 by the end of the agreement.

-- The NFL's desire to hire more officials on a developmental basis was said to be an easy issue to work around, and that was the case. The union agreed to allow the league to hire five officials "for training and development" purposes.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Well, the lock-out is over and, according to USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/story/2012/09/27/nfl-referees-end-lockout-after-reaching-new-labor-deal/57846906/1), it looks to me like the referees came out the victors of the dispute:
Well, that last bit tells me what potentially could have been a great strike strategy - "they'll hire scabs that are so bad at our jobs they'll bend to our demands" - will not work in the future.


Dammit :sneaky: