BOISE, Idaho — Officials and referees working high school sports for District Three in Idaho have no contract for the upcoming fall sports season, according to District Three Officials Association President Gary Bassett.
The association negotiates a new contract for referees every three years, but Bassett said their most recent agreement expired in June 2020. For the past 14 months, new contract terms have not been agreed upon between the association and the Third District Board of Control.
Without an agreement, it’s unclear what this could mean for the upcoming seasons.
“I don’t have an answer to that,” Bassett said. “I don't know who would officiate.”
District three is the largest in the state, representing 500 officials, referees, and umpires. The association has been collecting feedback from its constituents and decided per-game wages and mileage compensation were the top two priorities for contract negotiations.
When accounting for travel time and costs, referees are not paid what they’re worth, according to Bassett.
“We are well, well below what you can get in starting wages at most places,” Bassett said.
KTVB spoke with local baseball umpire Butch Davis who has officiated at the college level. Davis has worked in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and even Mississippi. The last contract stated Butch and other umpires made $59 per varsity game, according to the Third District Board of Control website.
Davis said that wage is not competitive.
“We we're making more than that when I was in east Tennessee in 1998, 1999, and 2000,” Davis said. “It's not like just anybody can walk out there and do this job and deal with the coaches as well.”
The Officials Association submitted a contract offer to the Board of Control in late June, and the Board of Control submitted a counteroffer on August 5, according to Bassett.
Bassett told KTVB the Officials Association and Board of Control are meeting on August 9 to discuss and potentially agree upon contract terms.
“We’re not miles apart,” Davis said. “We look forward to meeting with them. We look forward to conversation. And certainly, we look forward to being able to come to a resolution.”
The first day of competition is August 20, meaning the board and association have 11 days to come to an agreement.
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