In last minute moments of negotiation, the NFL and the officials’ union announced at midnight Thursday that a tentative eight-year agreement had been reached to end a lockout that began in June.
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According to the Associated Press, the regular officials will be back tonight and will officiate the Thursday night game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.
The deal came on the heels of the Seattle Seahawks last-second win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football, in which the replacement officials struggled and made a poor game-changing call.
“We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week’s games,” NFL Referees Association president Scott Green said.
And plenty of players echoed that sentiment.
“Welcome back REFS,” Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller tweeted shortly after the news broke.
The agreement hinged on working out pension and retirement benefits for the officials, who are part-time employees of the league. The tentative pact calls for their salaries to increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019.
Under the proposed deal, the current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for current officials through the 2016 season or until the official earns 20 years’ service. The defined benefit plan will then be frozen.
Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution arrangement. The annual league contribution made on behalf of each game official will begin with an average of more than $18,000 per official and increase to more than $23,000 per official in 2019.
Beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option to hire a number of officials on a full-time basis to work year round, including on the field. The NFL also will be able to retain additional officials for training and development, and can assign those officials to work games. The number of additional officials will be determined by the league.
The tentative deal must be ratified by 51 percent of the union’s 121 members. They plan to vote Friday and Saturday in Dallas.
Good to see that order has been restored in the NFL, and the regular refs are back!
SOURCE: AP
