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Major League football will play another weekend of games with substitute referees after representatives from the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) and the Professional Referees Organization (PRO) met in New York City on Wednesday and failed to reach an agreement in an ongoing labor dispute.
After Wednesday’s impasse, PRO notified PSRA on Friday that last week’s contract offer for officials would remain on the table until midnight on Monday, March 11, adding that if that offer was not accepted and ratified, the offer her next round of PSRA will include “less favorable terms in some areas,” according to multiple sources briefed on the negotiations.
The second week of MLS season begins Saturday afternoon. The PRO’s replacement referee team, which includes college and youth referees and a large number of officials experienced in officiating lower-division games, handled the MLS opening weekend with the PRO and PSRA unable to reach conditions before the start of the season.
The PRO — the organization that oversees professional refereeing in the United States and Canada and assigns referees to MLS matches — shut down its PSRA-represented officials on Feb. 18 after a pair of temporary extensions to the previous labor agreement between the PRO and the PSRA expired and the PSRA membership decisively rejected the initial proposal put together by the negotiators.
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Athletics received a copy of an email update PSRA provided its membership Wednesday afternoon that provided information on negotiations earlier in the day.
The PSRA, represented by a negotiating committee that includes current MLS referees Chris Penso, Drew Fischer and TJ Zablocki, submitted a proposal that was identical to their first proposal with a few exceptions.
They included, according to the membership update: ensuring that membership is paid retroactively to January 16, 2024, increasing wages and health care coverage and further modifications to travel flexibility and fare class. The PSRA also proposed an increase in the likeness fee its judges receive for commercial use of their image.
The PRO, represented by a team that includes former MLS referees Mark Geiger, Alan Kelly and Joe Fletcher, gave their response to the proposal after hours of consideration, according to the PSRA’s update to its members.
“At the joint session,” the update reads, “PRO representatives made a lengthy statement criticizing, among other things, your negotiating committee’s decision to send (the first tentative agreement) through ratification to allow you to vote and make your voice heard (it .) PRO then stated that they still needed more time to consider the PSRA proposal and would not provide a counter proposal during the hearing.”
The next update came on Friday, in which the PRO told PSRA that the previous contract offer remained, but would be canceled and become less favorable if not accepted by March 11.
PSRA and PRO were joined at the bargaining table by members of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), an independent government organization that works to help resolve labor disputes. Possible additional negotiation dates are being discussed by both sides.
PRO and PSRA declined to comment on Wednesday’s talks.
Both sides have accused each other of unfair practices during the lockout, with the PRO filing an unfair labor practice complaint against the PSRA last week alleging the referees’ union had attempted to intimidate substitute officials. PSRA, for its part, has filed complaints against PRO, alleging that the organization has engaged in “direct bargaining,” bypassing unions and attempting to directly influence union members. The union also alleged that Geiger sent a letter to the union membership threatening a lockout and threatening inferior terms if PSRA did not accept PRO’s initial offer.
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This story and headline have been updated to reflect that replacement officials will be working for the second weekend of MLS.
(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
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