Boys lacrosse referees have agreed to accept game assignments as early as Friday after a two-day work stoppage in which several games in the CIF Southern Section were canceled.
On Wednesday, the CIF-SS boys lacrosse season seemed to be in jeopardy as referees began to refuse to work as a protest against the Southern Section’s revised pay schedule that begins in the 2023 season.
The Southern California Lacrosse Officials Association (SOCALOA), the organization that represents the CIF-SS boys lacrosse officials, said its members, who are independent contractors, were protesting a fee schedule for the years 2023-25 that the CIF Council approved Tuesday.
According to the fee schedule that was approved, boys lacrosse officials were given a 3 percent increase in pay from $77 to $79 per game based on a baseline of 2.25 hours of work.
SOCALOA requested a minimum of 2.5 hours per game which would increase the rate of pay per game.
“Our organization received a good faith commitment from CIF-SS that the fee committee will hear and consider our request to adjust the game hours used to determine our new pay rate for the 2023-2025 seasons,” the board of SOCALOA said in a statement. “In response, it is recommended that officials again open their schedules and begin accepting game assignments again as early as Friday, April 8.”
SOCALOA will present its proposal to the fees committee when it meets again in August. If the committee agrees to amend the pay rate, it will be voted on by the CIF-SS Council February 1, 2023 before games begin on February 11.
Coaches in Orange County were pleased with the news and are excited to be able to finish the season.
“I’m very grateful that we’ve been able to come to a temporary resolution that allows for the 2022 season to continue and I couldn’t be happier for our student-athletes,” St. Margaret’s coach Brian Kelly said. “It’s now extremely important that administrators, coaches and CIF officials follow through on the good faith commitment to fully support the referee association’s pursuit of fair pay for the upcoming fee schedule.”
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“I’m happy everyone was able to put this aside for now and do what was right for the kids and for our sport,” JSerra coach Adam Guy said.
It is unclear as of now whether the games that were canceled will be made up at later dates.