Prediction--- NFL Ref labor dispute will be over by Thursday.

[trumad]

Everywhere I turn--- the criticism is coming down like a Hurricane.

[Auggie]

1. No reason to think otherwise

Total fiasco. I understand we might still see replacement refs for another week ot two even after a settlement since the NFLRA refs will need to undergo physicals, get new uniforms fit, and acclimate to being NFL refs again. There's no pre-season.

[seabeyond]

2. from what i am hearing is that would be expected with reason, but the owners do not give a shit

and they will not give. what do they lose, or care. maybe this will make it loud enough. but... as we saw in wisc with walker, didnt budge and held under the pressure. about union busting, i believe. i do not think it will. though i would love to see drastic. there are certainly enough people nation wide aware and interested, unlike the political issues elsewhere with teachers and firemen. footie footie football, even the least political, have an interest.

[TZ]

3. I doubt it actually

You think the owners care about criticism? No. In fact they probably like controversy. You know the bad pub is better than no pub?

[TBF]

4. Dunno, the anti-union propaganda has been so thick the past 30 years

that folks will probably come down on the side of the owners yet again.

The only way I see the refs getting anywhere is if the lead players (folks like Aaron Rodgers for example) would strike along with them. That would put pressure on the owners. Frankly the players should do it - they shouldn't be willing to play with scabs on the field.

But things have changed a lot in 30 years. When I was growing up in the 70s you didn't cross a picket line. Now I would bet half of this country wouldn't be able to define the terms "scabs" and "picket line" because they're too busy watching American Idol and Jersey Shore.

[joeybee12]

5. I agree with TZ and TBF...they want to break the union...

They don't care about anything else.

[TBF]

6. Capital has always been hostile to labor historically -

but in our lifetimes we've actually seen a country try to have a middle class (roughly 1930s-80s it was a pretty strong middle class with decent standard of living). And then they started moving manufacturing out of the country (which weakened the serious unions - like the steelworkers my dad belonged to), then the air traffic controllers, nurses, teachers, government workers are all being beat down. Freezes on salaries, pensions ended.

Soon there will be the owners (millions) and there will be the rest of us (minimum wage) - and there will be no middle at all.

And we will all be looking at each other saying "what happened"? Ronald Reagan happened, that's what.

[madinmaryland]

7. Yeah. I was listening to Kornheiser on the way in this morning and even he was spouting

the right wing meme about the Refs. He's normally quite progressive, but essentially he said these guys are part timers and since the rest of the league staff has been moved out of a pension system into a 401k system, the ref's should go that way also.

[trotsky]

9. Let the refs go that way, then.

AFTER the ones who have been PROMISED pensions by the league retire.

This is about the NFL taking money away from the refs that they promised.

[JonLP24]

8. So far

ticket sales have been solid and TV ratings continue to set records so I hope you're right but I have doubts.

[Auggie]

10. Good call Trumad ...

if this is indeed true: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014246835

[trumad]

11. This was a PR disaster for the NFL

and a great win for Labor.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. I Agree With Your Title, Not With Your Comment In The Body

Actually, as the son of a teamster when unions were very meaningful, i kind of resent lumping a professional guild member in with "labor".

They're independent contractors who merely collectively bargain to allow the operating entity to avoid anti-trust violations.

I have no doubt that the "most qualified" official would take more money than his counterparts in a heartbeat if he could negotiate his own deal, independent of the CBA. Zero doubt in my mind.

So, they're not the same as "labor". And this does nothing to help the future of any real union member.
GAC

[RockaFowler]

12. Tru knows his stuff!!

Great call Trumad!!

[joeybee12]

13. Hell has frozen over! Trumad was right!

[trumad]

14. This prediction was an easy one...

and one that I am surprised that many did not agree with...

The debacle on Monday night was the tip of the iceberg for Referee-Gate, and it was a quick sink to the bottom of the sea for NFL head office powers.

[joeybee12]

15. I really thought the owners would dig in for one more week...

Greedy bastards.

[Auggie]

16. I did too