Umpires Pay Increase Rescinded

[sportsfan93]

I knew this would become a back and forth discussion. I'm sorry but the expenses are understood. You work a normal job, right. Do they pay your gas? No. Do they cover your meals? No. Do they pay you $21.25 per hour. (Most of the time, no!) This is nuts. The schools systems in Greene county have not given their teachers a raise in 3 years or more. What your asking for here is a 20% plus raise. Oh and by the way an increased hardship on the schools. The problem here is not officials. The problem here is not the coaches or the schools. The problem here is TSSAA. The guys who sit back in an office and decide that what is best for a AAA school also works for a A school that has 10 visiting parents that traveled an hour and 45 minutes for a conference game. Schools need to refuse joining TSSAA and if enough of them do it we can fix this. Unfortunately, no one will and it will only get worse until schools can no longer offer certain sports. In the Region 1A division, those schools can no longer or have never been able to offer many "secondary" sports due to expense; Wrestling, Golf, Tennis, Volleyball, Football (UH), and track. Why? They can not afford to after paying football, basketball, baseball and softball.

 

There is no solution until the Totalitarian regime is removed in Nashville!

[ksgovols]

Then let's have a merit based payscale. Pay grades would depend upon training certifications and evaluations including knowledge of the game, demeanor and experience. The association knows who's going to have the big gate games and he can send guys accordingly.

 

My problem is not paying a good umpire $110 for a DH. I have a problem with paying $85 for a horrible umpire. They're not all the same quality and they shouldn't be paid the same rates.

 

I have no problem using a merit based payscale for umpires. Why don't you go ahead and have a merit based payscale for the coaches? Yes, there are some bad umpires but you have just as many if not more bad coaches. Just like some umpires you have some coaches out there for nothing more than an easy check. When you have umpires and coaches that never played the game you have a problem!

 

All baseball coaches have the same pay scale? That would be news to me.

 

There seems to me to be a pretty good correlation with coaches being compensated based on merit for the most part. Those coaches that are going to state every year are getting paid for their efforts or are moving on. Umpires get the same check whether it's 2 teams that stink in Podunk County or the district championship game.

[Slider]

The umpire fees in high school baseball in Tennessee were supposed to be increased starting next season, but now the TSSAA has formed a committee to look into the increase in pay for umpires and has rescinded the increase for next season. Personally, I think that's a bad move. I'm sure there will be some people get on this board now and say that umpires are paid too much and etc. Its been at least 3 years since there was a pay increase I think for umpires and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these guys decide to not umpire next season. Its hard enough to get new people into this profession.

Binns, sorry to hear that. Once they were supposed to get the increase, it was not a good idea to rescind it. What was the increase supposed to be?

 

 

I know this is going to turn into a horrible back and forth arguement. But, I have to say good move TSSAA. Sorry officials, I know there is a lot of expense involved. But $85.00 for a V/JV DH is a good pay check. Most of those games are two 5 inning games or a 7 and a 5. It usually starts at 4:30 and is over by 8:30. Thats $21.25 per hour and we won't even get into the discussion of what happens if you make a mistake or show up in a bad mood. Most single A games I have seen have 20 people max in the stands and can't even afford to pay you on a regular night. I have heard two teams talking about shutting down JV and that would mean a decrease in pay for you guys anyway. I say thanks you TSSAA.

 

Do they get a 1099?

Are they subcontractors?

I see cash being paid out in the summer.

Just wondering how it works. $85 with no income tax seems pretty strong.

[TIMEWARP]

Yes some of us do get a 1099 from the high school season and the summer. And we are subcontractors

in the eyes of TSSAA. No one complains when football gets a raise, but heaven forbid if baseball or

softball get one.

[InspectorVol]

You do realize those schools will still be broke after you remove the TSSAA? The TSSAA surely could do things better in a lot of areas but the wealth of a school or lack thereof is not from anything they do.

 

Although I am sorry those sports have been dropped at some schools, lack of funds leaves them no choice. How would they compete without the TSSAA? If not that organization another one would have to be created, laws passed, by laws, etc.

 

I will not gripe about what a person makes. And as for comparing their hourly rate to most of us, how many of us have jobs where during the course of it on any given day you hear about how you need to see the eye doctor, to go home, you suck, and any number of obscenities, plus the threats against your person at times? Lots of things to consider.

 

 

I knew this would become a back and forth discussion. I'm sorry but the expenses are understood. You work a normal job, right. Do they pay your gas? No. Do they cover your meals? No. Do they pay you $21.25 per hour. (Most of the time, no!) This is nuts. The schools systems in Greene county have not given their teachers a raise in 3 years or more. What your asking for here is a 20% plus raise. Oh and by the way an increased hardship on the schools. The problem here is not officials. The problem here is not the coaches or the schools. The problem here is TSSAA. The guys who sit back in an office and decide that what is best for a AAA school also works for a A school that has 10 visiting parents that traveled an hour and 45 minutes for a conference game. Schools need to refuse joining TSSAA and if enough of them do it we can fix this. Unfortunately, no one will and it will only get worse until schools can no longer offer certain sports. In the Region 1A division, those schools can no longer or have never been able to offer many "secondary" sports due to expense; Wrestling, Golf, Tennis, Volleyball, Football (UH), and track. Why? They can not afford to after paying football, basketball, baseball and softball.

 

There is no solution until the Totalitarian regime is removed in Nashville!

[davidlimbaugh]

I have no problem using a merit based payscale for umpires. Why don't you go ahead and have a merit based payscale for the coaches? Yes, there are some bad umpires but you have just as many if not more bad coaches. Just like some umpires you have some coaches out there for nothing more than an easy check. When you have umpires and coaches that never played the game you have a problem!

 

Coaches have a great merit system. W's and L's. And if they get a lot more L's than W's their pay (and employment) is impacted accordingly. Where is that same checks and balances for umpires?

[ksgovols]

Yep. Exactly.

 

Everything else in high school baseball is merit based. Freshmen team, JV team, Varsity team. It's easier on the association administrator to make all middle school games one rate and all high school games another, but the reality is district games and tournaments should get the highest rates with the best umpires, non district games should be a notch lower in pay scale and quality of umpires, JV and Freshmen games a notch lower in pay and so forth. The game is not the same, there's not as much on the line as you go down the ladder and the crowd/gate isn't the same. Pay shouldn't be the same.

[binns37388]

After I started this post, there have been a lot of well thought and honest opinions posted and I appreciate that very much. The merit pay for umpires is a good idea, but how to implement it would be hard to do. A smaller increase in pay for umpires would be fair, instead of no pay raise at all. I just talked with a coach from a small school and he said that there are several ways to raise money for their baseball programs, but you have to work at it with fundraisers and etc. Football at some schools support their other sports. I think if a small school can't afford to fund a minor sport, then it needs to be dropped. Maybe the smaller schools could use only one umpire behind the plate to save money. If you're gonna dance, you have to pay the fiddler is what my father always told me. Hopefully the committee the TSSAA has formed to look into this situation can read some of these comments and come up with a good solution. They also are looking into assigning fees that are charged to the schools by the assigning officers to furnish each school with umpires. As a former TSSAA baseball assigning officer, I do realize what a tough job that can be. Thats another can of worms that has me concerned. Some schools in my area will spend big bucks to send their baseball teams out of state to play in tournaments, but gripe about paying an extra $5 or $10 to an umpire. I've always loved the game of baseball and hopefully all these problems can be worked out and they can come up with a good solution. I do know one thing, education comes first in the overall scheme of things.

[govols78]

One problem that I see on almost a daily basis is the travel that some umpires are making to call a game. I hear the TSSAA saying they want to cut down on travel expenses for schools by reclassification. Why not do the same with umpires. Our school is located in the East Brainerd area of Chattanooga, but I would regularly talk to umpires who were driving from Bledsoe County, Rhea County or even Sequatchie County to call our games. Those are 40-50 minute drives. If an umpire chooses to join the Chattanooga association that is fine, but don't lament about travel expenses if you chose to travel that far. I think the umpiring assigner should put limitations on how far an umpire can travel. That is what TSSAA is trying to do with reclassifying. Why not do it with officials as well. It would help coaches and players as well as you would consistently play with the same umpires (same strike zones).

[binns37388]

When I was an assigning officer for baseball, I did try send umpires to locations that were closer to home or work, but some coaches don't want to see the same umpires all the time, so I had to mix it up somewhat. Mike Hollowell is trying to do the same thing in our area, but so many variables are involved. In Sequatchie Co's area, the schools are further apart and there's not much you can do about that. I guess there's no perfect way to assign games or pay for umpires, but all the suggestions that have been made will help make it better.

[sportsfan93]

I will not gripe about what a person makes. And as for comparing their hourly rate to most of us, how many of us have jobs where during the course of it on any given day you hear about how you need to see the eye doctor, to go home, you suck, and any number of obscenities, plus the threats against your person at times? Lots of things to consider.

 

Are you working in a classroom? LOL

 

You make a lot of valid points. As for TSSAA, I think they need a little pressure from the schools in refusing their demands. The anount they freely take at tournaments to pay whoever or what ever, the fees they charge schools just to be a member, the fees they then charge for each sport, the fines, and so forth. Schools lose more and more to them every year and cant or wont do anything about it. Then when they cancel sports, they are the bad person. It would be tough to restart, but could be done.

 

It's just tough economic times on everyone; The parents, players, coaches, officials, schools, and even the organization. We are gonna lose sports, maybe even some schools. States and the National government is struggling and I think we are facing major issues in the next five years.

[Slider]

I will not gripe about what a person makes. And as for comparing their hourly rate to most of us, how many of us have jobs where during the course of it on any given day you hear about how you need to see the eye doctor, to go home, you suck, and any number of obscenities, plus the threats against your person at times? Lots of things to consider.

 

Are you working in a classroom? LOL

 

You make a lot of valid points. As for TSSAA, I think they need a little pressure from the schools in refusing their demands. The anount they freely take at tournaments to pay whoever or what ever, the fees they charge schools just to be a member, the fees they then charge for each sport, the fines, and so forth. Schools lose more and more to them every year and cant or wont do anything about it. Then when they cancel sports, they are the bad person. It would be tough to restart, but could be done.

 

 

It's just tough economic times on everyone; The parents, players, coaches, officials, schools, and even the organization. We are gonna lose sports, maybe even some schools. States and the National government is struggling and I think we are facing major issues in the next five years.

 

What if athletic directors instituted a $50 player fee at the begining of each school year. That money could be set aside for officials at each game. You can handle any "Economic Hardships" as one offs. You can use gate fees for any short fall. Booster clubs could also contribute. $500 gos a long way in helping pay for officials. Coaches are allowed to do fund raisers. You have to take care of the game first before you make improvements. If umpires need a raise than fine, give them a 10% raise. Folks have plenty of excuses why things are wrong or can't get done. I feel like you are part of the problem or part of the solution. I'm not wild about everything the TSSAA does but they should not be the excuse for not having some sports. Look closely at AD's and administrators. Do you have quality solution based leadership guiding your student athletes?