MLS officials are set to resume their duties this upcoming weekend following the approval of a new collective bargaining agreement, officially putting an end to a month-long lockout, according to a statement from the league on Tuesday.
According to the league, the contract between the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) and the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) will continue until 2030 and it is the longest labor agreement for match officials in the history of MLS. PSRA is the union that represents the referees officiating MLS matches. PRO, which was created in a 2012 collaboration between MLS and US Soccer, oversees the management of MLS match officials.
Nelson Rodriguez, executive vice-president of MLS, expressed gratitude to the PRO match officials for coming back this weekend. He also extended thanks to the MLS players, coaches, and clubs for their professionalism, and to the fans for their support during the first month of the season.
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In the middle of February, the proposal for a new labor agreement was rejected by the PSRA. This resulted in referees being locked out by the PRO before the 2024 MLS season opener, which featured Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. The PSRA stated that the failure to ratify the agreement was due to dissatisfaction with the compensation and benefits offered by PRO, as well as a lack of improvements to travel arrangements, scheduling, and overall well-being.
“The rapid and dramatic growth of MLS has resulted in a significant increase in demands on officials both mentally and physically. This has also led to an increase in demands on our professional and personal schedules,” stated Peter Manikowski, PSRA president and lead negotiator, in regards to the lockout announcement.
Substitute referees from various lower divisions in countries such as the US, Jamaica, Brazil, Turkey, Spain, Poland, Mexico, and Italy were recruited to fill in during the 37-day lockout. This is not the first time that MLS referees have been locked out due to labor negotiations; it also occurred in 2014, resulting in the use of replacement officials for the first two weeks of the season. While the previous lockout went relatively smoothly, the current season has been plagued with mistakes.
As time went by, both managers and players began to express their displeasure with the replacement referees’ performance. CF Montréal’s head coach Laurent Courtois commented, “In addition to the 22 minutes of stoppage time, the Chicago goalkeeper should have received a red card but didn’t, their third goal resulted from a corner that should not have been given, and their first goal was offside. My team was robbed of something.”
On the first weekend of the season, Mark Delgado of the LA Galaxy received an erroneous red card just moments before Inter Miami scored a tying goal. In the following week, an official incorrectly granted a throw-in that led to a goal by the Philadelphia Union against Sporting KC. “It’s incredibly frustrating when you put in so much effort and then a clear mistake ends up being the difference,” commented Sporting KC captain Johnny Russell following the match. “It’s tough. It really leaves a negative feeling.”
In a recent interview with ESPN, PRO general manager Mark Geiger stated that the substitute referees utilized this season did not live up to the quality expected by the unionized officials back in 2023.
Under the newly negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement, referees, assistant referees, and assistant video referees will receive salary increases. According to the Athletic, officials with less than two years of experience were previously paid $50,000 annually, but will now earn $85,000. Officials with more experience will also receive higher pay, with their salaries rising from $108,000 to $142,000 under the new terms.
In 2030, officials with less than 200 games of experience will receive a salary of $110,000, while those with 200 or more games of experience will earn $182,000 annually.
“We express our gratitude to the numerous officials in the United States and Canada who joined us in solidarity, showcasing their resilience and expertise,” stated Manikowski on Tuesday. “Through our collective efforts, we have achieved necessary enhancements and highlighted the importance of having top-level referees on the field in Major League Soccer.”
Source: theguardian.com
