The NFL and [NFL Referees](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-replacement-refs-history-officials-strikes/1a6e8715422ba126b5572b6d) Association are back at the negotiating table this week; this time, the league is sending people who can actually make decisions. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, several owners sitting on the Management Council Executive Committee and the Competition Committee will be part of the league's bargaining delegation. Maybe that will help because two weeks ago, a scheduled session collapsed before it barely got going.
The NFLRA's position was that the NFL's team across the table had no authority to negotiate. The league never pushed back on that.
Owners bring real authority to the table
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The gap between the two sides remains wide. The NFL has offered roughly 6.45% annual compensation growth over six years. The NFLRA wants over 10%, plus $2.5 million in marketing fees and improved healthcare benefits.
Executive director Scott Green has publicly accused the league of putting out "false and misleading information,"
Owners already [approved](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48370278/nflpa-supports-referees-cba-negotiations-nfl) a rule allowing the New York replay center to correct clear officiating errors during a possible work stoppage.
Replacement officials from Division I, II, and III programs are being recruited, with training clinics reportedly set to open around May 1. The NFLPA came out publicly against replacement refs, with former player rep JC Tretter stating that experienced officials "can't be replaced by less experienced crews or handled remotely."
If this week's sessions don't move the needle significantly, the 2012 replacement-referee debacle is starting to look less like ancient history, maybe more like a preview.