The buzz surrounding the league’s return is electrifying as the kickoff for the highly anticipated 2024 MLS season looms. Yet, uncertainty crackles through the air with talks of potential replacement referees taking center stage.

First reported by Tom Bogert and Pablo Maurer of The Athletic, the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) and the union Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) were in talks about a new CBA ahead of the 2024 season. And if an agreement couldn’t have been made, PRO will enforce a lockout.

According to PRO, a tentative agreement was reached last weekend, but PSRA members who officiate regularly in MLS voted this past week to reject the deal.

“Time has been of the essence to conclude a fair deal and move forward together with renewed positivity ahead of our 12th year of supporting the growth of the professional game in the United States and Canada,” says PRO General Manager and former official Mark Geiger.

“We made meaningful progress during recent bargaining, agreeing to fair pay increases and addressing many of the PSRA’s concerns with respect to non-economic items. This represented approximately a 25 percent overall increase over 2023 when comparing salary, retainers, game fees, and benefits, plus the addition of business class travel for the MLS Cup Playoffs. The result of the membership vote is disappointing.”

The newly proposed five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) promises a substantial boost in compensation and benefits for officials across the board, focusing on enhancing the pay and benefits for assistant referees and video match officials.

PSRA also rejected a mutual agreement between both parties to not enforce a strike or lockout throughout the 2024 MLS Cup while continuing negotiations, thus instituting an official lockout beginning Saturday night at 12am. “We are left with no choice but to institute a lockout and use qualified non-bargaining unit officials so that games can go ahead as scheduled,” said Geiger.

“It’s extremely disappointing that the officials have voted against the tentative agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement reached by the Professional Soccer Referees Association and the Professional Referee Organization,” MLS Executive Vice President of Sporting Product & Competition Nelson Rodriguez said in a statement Saturday afternoon.

“PRO worked for months and addressed all the issues that were raised by PSRA’s bargaining unit. It is also unfortunate that the PSRA rejected PRO’s offer for a mutual no strike – no lockout commitment, which would have allowed all match officials to continue working during ongoing negotiations.”

According to Bogert, 95.8% of the PSRA membership voted “no,” to reject the tentative agreement.

Terms included but not limited to overall increases in guaranteed pay in the agreement’s first year: 10-33% for referees, 75-104% for assistant referees, and 15-100% for video match officials, plus increased match fees for regular-season games and playoffs.

An increase of seven percent in 2027 for all salaries/retainers and match fees – the highest mid-contract raise ever offered – with three percent increases in all other years.

First and business class air travel for the playoffs and MLS Cup throughout the deal, and for Decision Day in 2027 and 2028.

Additional benefits include enhanced injury continuance for referees and assistant referees, physical therapy reimbursement for referees and assistant referees in PRO’s sports performance program, employer contributions for assistant referees and video match officials for reimbursable health care costs, and increased severance for referees and assistant referees.

The MLS season kicks off with replacement referees on Wednesday, February 21.