NEW YORK (AP) — Two days before the NFL season kicks off, no talks are scheduled between the league and the locked-out on-field officials.
Both sides met for three days last week, but did not reach an agreement to end the three-month-old lockout. Replacement officials who worked the preseason games will be officiate the first week of the season, beginning Wednesday night with the Cowboys at the Giants.
The league and the NFL Referees Association, which covers more than 120 on-field officials, are at odds over salary, retirement benefits and operational issues. The NFL has said its offer includes annual pay increases that could earn an experienced official more than $200,000 annually by 2018. The NFLRA has disputed the value of the proposal, insisting it would ultimately reduce their compensation.
