Referees protest MLS NYC offices ahead of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami season opener

MLS referees stage protests as the season starts, demanding better pay, travel conditions and benefits from the league.

As the 2024 MLS season kicks off with the star power of Lionel Messi, a contrasting sentiment is felt outside the league's New York headquarters. Members of the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) staged protests in Manhattan and Arlington, Texas, just hours before the season's start. The protests are a result of the lockout of PSRA members by the Professional Referees Organization (PRO), the employer of match officials across U.S. professional soccer leagues and MLS' partner in negotiations. The lockout comes as the parties work towards a new collective bargaining agreement after the previous one expired on Jan. 15. The PSRA's main priorities include salary, benefits, and travel conditions, which they believe have not been adequately addressed in the PRO's latest offer.

MLS has rapidly expanded from 24 to 29 teams since the last CBA in 2019, resulting in an increase in the number of games hosted by the league. The PSRA believes that the demands on match officials have only increased as a result, and that the PRO's latest offer did not reflect that. The specifics of the PRO's latest offer included an overall increase in salaries for match officials, but the PSRA has also demanded better travel arrangements considering the increase in teams and games. The PSRA has expressed concerns about the lack of preparedness on the part of the replacement officials hired by the PRO to oversee matches during the lockout. The MLS Players Association has also voiced concerns about the potential impact on the quality and results of matches as well as the health and safety of players.

Members of the PSRA took to the streets with symbols of protest and were supported by family members, as they advocated for fair treatment and compensation. The union pointed to instances where match officials were paid low wages for matches with large crowds, highlighting the disparity between their pay and the revenue collected by the league and its teams. Travel arrangements are also a point of contention, as some match officials spend a large amount of time away from home and are not adequately compensated for the demands of their job.

With neither side appearing close to budging, the PSRA plans to stage further protests in front of MLS' offices in the coming days. The labor dispute has the potential to upstage the start of the season, posing a challenge for MLS as it seeks to promote its product in the era of Messi. The situation reflects the growing pains in MLS' ecosystem amid the league's rapid expansion and the need to address the concerns of match officials as the league continues to grow.

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