Seems that things are heating up for the USTA in their dealings with officials from around the world. Below is an article just published about the pay at the Open and other Grand Slam tournaments.
Four United States officials recently filed a lawsuit against the USTA over their pay at the US Open. If you would like a copy of this lawsuit, email me at rmtennis@yahoo.com and I'll be glad to send you a copy.
Enjoy reading...
This weekend, the men’s and women’s singles champions at the United States Open will take home at least $1.8 million each. The total prize money is a record $23.7 million. The tournament’s revenue is expected to exceed $200 million.
At the United States Open, the highest-rated umpires in tennis make $250 a day.
Gold badge chair umpires, the highest-rated officials in professional tennis, the ones who work the most important tournaments and matches, make $250 each day at the Open. It is the lowest pay rate for any Grand Slam tournament. There are 26 such umpires. Twenty-four of them worked Wimbledon, but only 13 are here at the Open.
“We’ve been saying this for years and years,” Norm Chryst, a retired gold badge chair umpire, said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “The U.S. Open makes more and more each year, but very little of that goes to the officials. Gold badge umpires don’t want to come here. Why? A lot of the answer is money.”
For gold badge umpires, officiating tournaments is their primary job and main source of income. At most tournaments, their pay is set by the ATP World Tour, the WTA or the International Tennis Federation. But at Grand Slam events, tournament organizers dictate everything from pay rates to accommodations.
Chryst said the United States Open once paid the most among major tournaments, an assertion that was confirmed by a current gold badge umpire who requested anonymity because they are not allowed to conduct interviews without permission. Now, the Open pays the least.
The Open declined to make available the director of officials, the tournament referee or any top umpires. But Chris Widmaier, the managing director of communications for the United States Tennis Association, said: “We’re very comfortable with the quality of officials. There doesn’t seem to be any controversy except the controversy that one disgruntled official has stirred up.”
One gold badge umpire detailed complaints, including pay, to The Times, a London newspaper, earlier this week. But Chryst said the issue went beyond one official, as shown by the umpires who are not working the Open. They include some of the most respected in the sport, like Lars Graff, Mohamed Lahyani, Cedric Mourier and Steve Ullrich, the chair umpire for last year’s men’s singles final.
Widmaier said the Open generally hired 15 or 16 gold badge umpires. He said that two declined this year to spend less time on the road, and another ran into visa issues. Asked if all 26 gold badge umpires would be ideal at the Open, he said that many would not be necessary.
“We look at every aspect of this tournament every year,” he said. “If we feel improvements need to be made, we make them.”
A spreadsheet obtained by The New York Times showed that Wimbledon paid gold badge umpires £189, or about $306 daily. The French Open paid 190 euros (about $270), even for the tournament’s qualifying rounds, while the United States Open pays $185 a day for its qualifying rounds.
At the Australian Open, gold badge umpires earn about $383 for each main draw day, and they make overtime if they work more than 10 hours, a perk none of the other Grand Slam tournaments provide.
The differences extend beyond pay scale. Gold badge umpires receive their own hotel rooms at the United States and French Opens, share two-bedroom apartments in Australia and must book their own accommodations at Wimbledon, where they get about $121.50 a day for expenses.
All tournaments provide on-site meal vouchers, with none higher than the French Open (about $37). All also pay a portion of the umpires’ travel expenses, with the United States Open, at $500 for travel both domestic and international, again the lowest of the majors.
Chryst said the problems with the United States Open went beyond pay, extending to more complaints like too many hours and not enough days off. Chryst said the absences were heavier on the men’s side, with more ATP gold badge umpires absent. “They’re the ones who see the players every week,” he said.
Told that officials believed the tournament had not suffered in quality, Chryst noted that several gold badge umpires did not work the entire United States Open in 2004 because they were involved in a credential scandal at the Athens Olympics.
An umpire officiating an Open match that year between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati made one particularly erroneous call, an instance often credited as the impetus behind the implementation of the Hawk-Eye instant replay system. The umpire, Chryst said, was rated a silver badge.
“Was Hawk-Eye ultimately fortunate for all umpires?” he asked. “I think so. It’s a good thing. But that’s what can happen when the best aren’t there.”
Players appear more aware of individual umpires than their respective ratings. Told of the lack of top-level umpires at this year’s Open, Roger Federer said: “I don’t know about that. It’s a tough job being an umpire. I wish that all the best umpires would be here, but it is who it is, and I hope that they can resolve the issue.”
Chryst said, “There’s nothing the umpires can do except not come.”
“We’ve been saying this for years and years,” Norm Chryst, a retired gold badge chair umpire, said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “The U.S. Open makes more and more each year, but very little of that goes to the officials. Gold badge umpires don’t want to come here. Why? A lot of the answer is money.”
For gold badge umpires, officiating tournaments is their primary job and main source of income. At most tournaments, their pay is set by the ATP World Tour, the WTA or the International Tennis Federation. But at Grand Slam events, tournament organizers dictate everything from pay rates to accommodations.
Chryst said the United States Open once paid the most among major tournaments, an assertion that was confirmed by a current gold badge umpire who requested anonymity because they are not allowed to conduct interviews without permission. Now, the Open pays the least.
The Open declined to make available the director of officials, the tournament referee or any top umpires. But Chris Widmaier, the managing director of communications for the United States Tennis Association, said: “We’re very comfortable with the quality of officials. There doesn’t seem to be any controversy except the controversy that one disgruntled official has stirred up.”
One gold badge umpire detailed complaints, including pay, to The Times, a London newspaper, earlier this week. But Chryst said the issue went beyond one official, as shown by the umpires who are not working the Open. They include some of the most respected in the sport, like Lars Graff, Mohamed Lahyani, Cedric Mourier and Steve Ullrich, the chair umpire for last year’s men’s singles final.
Widmaier said the Open generally hired 15 or 16 gold badge umpires. He said that two declined this year to spend less time on the road, and another ran into visa issues. Asked if all 26 gold badge umpires would be ideal at the Open, he said that many would not be necessary.
“We look at every aspect of this tournament every year,” he said. “If we feel improvements need to be made, we make them.”
A spreadsheet obtained by The New York Times showed that Wimbledon paid gold badge umpires £189, or about $306 daily. The French Open paid 190 euros (about $270), even for the tournament’s qualifying rounds, while the United States Open pays $185 a day for its qualifying rounds.
At the Australian Open, gold badge umpires earn about $383 for each main draw day, and they make overtime if they work more than 10 hours, a perk none of the other Grand Slam tournaments provide.
The differences extend beyond pay scale. Gold badge umpires receive their own hotel rooms at the United States and French Opens, share two-bedroom apartments in Australia and must book their own accommodations at Wimbledon, where they get about $121.50 a day for expenses.
All tournaments provide on-site meal vouchers, with none higher than the French Open (about $37). All also pay a portion of the umpires’ travel expenses, with the United States Open, at $500 for travel both domestic and international, again the lowest of the majors.
Chryst said the problems with the United States Open went beyond pay, extending to more complaints like too many hours and not enough days off. Chryst said the absences were heavier on the men’s side, with more ATP gold badge umpires absent. “They’re the ones who see the players every week,” he said.
Told that officials believed the tournament had not suffered in quality, Chryst noted that several gold badge umpires did not work the entire United States Open in 2004 because they were involved in a credential scandal at the Athens Olympics.
An umpire officiating an Open match that year between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati made one particularly erroneous call, an instance often credited as the impetus behind the implementation of the Hawk-Eye instant replay system. The umpire, Chryst said, was rated a silver badge.
“Was Hawk-Eye ultimately fortunate for all umpires?” he asked. “I think so. It’s a good thing. But that’s what can happen when the best aren’t there.”
Players appear more aware of individual umpires than their respective ratings. Told of the lack of top-level umpires at this year’s Open, Roger Federer said: “I don’t know about that. It’s a tough job being an umpire. I wish that all the best umpires would be here, but it is who it is, and I hope that they can resolve the issue.”
Chryst said, “There’s nothing the umpires can do except not come.”
Article written by Greg Bishop.
18 comments:
If Cj gets promoted to the US OPEN, that problem would get corrected pronto!!!
Wowww I did
not know
Interesting that the gold badges are not allowed to conduct interviews without permission. That usually means someone is hiding something.
Last time I checked, umpires are contract labor. If you don't like the pay, don't work the tournament. Too many officials think they have a RIGHT to work the US Open. Get over it. Stop your bitching. The USTA won't give in unless of course the officials that have filed lawsuits are coloured. The. Then the USTA will bend over and give them whatever they want.
FYI - the US Open is the worst by far of all Gram Slams in every category, not just officiating.
What this article does not address is the allowance provided umpires for meals onsite. I do not know what the current rates are, but the ones a few years ago were, at best, enough for one meal. If you are required to be there on day session from start time, and the day session either goes long or has a rain delay, you could still be there at midnight. At that time the umpire dining room (which has the most reasonable prices, but that is compared to the outrageous prices in the food court) is closed as are all the food court stations. Also, what about the locker room for umpires -- sad, sad, sad. And the "lounge" where people have to pack in and wait during weather delays, while players have a huge lounge with food, exercise machines, arcade games....well, you get the idea. It's not only the daily pay. It is the blatant treatment of officials there, especially linespersons, as second class citizens. At the Open, the treatment of the silver and gold badged officials is luxurious compared to that of the linespeople
Correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe the players /officials get $35 posted on their credentials pass everyday for food allowance at the site. That's one-big HAPPY MEAL to chow down on.
p.s.
Randy, you need to re-negotiate for us here in DFW.
If they didn't pay the women the same prize money as the men, then they would have more money for the officials pot. The women get 'equal pay' for NOT EQUAL WORK!!!
Just read the class-action lawsuit filed by the 4 listed plaintiff officials. The basis of the suit is that the USTA/US Open classifies the officials as ‘indpendent contractors’ instead of ‘employees’. If they were actual ‘employees’, then certain wage rules, overtime, breaks, etc. would come into play; you get the picture…….
But what would you expect from the USTA. When you hire morons, you get morons.
1. Each official applies to be selected for the US Open. This is their decision to apply or not apply.
2. All usta/us open literature always indicates these positions are as ‘independent contractors’.
These officials have applied and been selected to work the US Open for many, many years; which is mainly based on ability and prior official work performance. But that’s not good enough to receive a flat day rate; currently $115/day and up depending on level of match assignments. Also, daily food allowance ($35) is provided while at the site; paid airfare or travel allowance to come to nyc; paid lodging while in nyc.; uniforms, per diem allowance on assigned off days.
If the employee status is determined to be the case, I suggest the USTA pay at the minimum wage rate ($7.25/hr.) Even with any overtime computed, this would be less than the current day rate. Officals still apply or not apply on their own free will. It appears some of the top Gold Badges passed on applying this year; didn’t like the wage scale ($250/day). As employees, then taxes would be required to be withheld. That wasn’t mentioned in the lawsuit.
There has been discussions of forming a union and establishing pensions for officials for years. I would speculate that most officials are not full-time. They have a real life, job, family and tennis is a serious hobby.
As much as it pains me, this is one instance, that I have to agree with the USTA.
To umpSES.
If you don't like the working conditions, then DON'T APPLY; you will not get selected and will not have to endure all those atrocious working conditions.
If this chicken-crap lawsuit gets classified as a class-action lawsuit, then I will be happy to opt-out. I worked, I got paid as contracted. I'm happy.
Suicide by Stupidity......
This new lawsuit filed against the USTA, by officials no less, will more than likely accelerate the development of computer aided line calling now used in the player appeal process. Just let the chair or a 2nd chair watch a monitor and call 'out' on any ball that the computer 'flashes' hit out. Players play until stopped. Replays to come and confirm.
Just goes to show that line-calling is not Rocket Science. Just about any moron can be trained to watch a line and call out. What's the pay scale for morons these days???
p.s.
Anybody remember the cyclops team that roamed stadiums after setting up their equipment used to call serves? That little business doesn't exist anymore. How long will it be before someone asks: Anyone remember when they used to have real people out there calling lines at tennis matches?
Those 4 listed plaintiffs better have a whole lot of DIVERSITY stockpiled to survive this!
Lots of missed calls shown by hawkeye.
Guess the affirmative action hires cannot cut it.
Pay scales should be by the pound size of the officials.
Then you would make some real money.
Scr_w It Says,
1. Pay the players less
2. Go to the ITA rules with a good chair only and players make the calls! If the players miss some calls they go into the code.
Talk about saving money...
Besides, Where is the honor?
I would pay to see a match where the players called their own lines. That would be worth the admission price!
FYI: The USTA junior program also needs to go with the ITA style rules. Overrule on appeal only. Then code violation for any overrules in excess of 2.
The fact that a player can cause a chair umpire (apparently only making $250 a day) to endure being essentially (and incorrectly) called incompetent for making a intentional hindrance call when that player will make millions for winning the match is nothing short of a joke. If officials want to feed their egos by working "the Open" go for it, but with all the money flying around you are being used by the USTA (might as well call it the USLTA like in the old days).
Well, Serena did get fined $2,000 today for her abuse of the chair official. Like, that's gonna mean anything.....
Check the irs and see what the difference is between contractors and employees. Clearly they are employees. Even if just seasonal. But most do work year round just to qualify to apply. You want to be good as something you can't just do it three weeks. Their top 100 officials are 200 days on the road and make little more than 20k. In a year.
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