Pay for incomplete games

[SeeingEyeDog]

Just curious what kinds of pay policies are in place out there...

Once I leave the house I get half-pay. After first pitch, full pay.

There are some exceptions. Some of our clients, if they fail to notify the hotline of a cancellation, we bill them full fee so, the umpires get full fee. But, that's very rare.

If you are at a field working multiple games, you get nothing for games cancelled after you are already there. If you work a game and then start another one, that's two fees earned. But, work a game and then everything else there gets cancelled...one fee.

~Dawg

[kylehutson]

Where I am it varies by venue.

- High school - they give you your check upon arrival. I did get a full DH fee for a game that never started due to weather.

- Legion varies by host team. I had a doubleheader where it started storming after the first game completed and before the 2nd game started, and I promptly got a check for 1 game. Another legion team cancelled their game and forgot to tell me. They mailed me ~3/4 of a game fee to cover my travel

- Youth tournaments pay you for a game if the game gets started

[noumpere]

All of the above (and probably most of the below), plus one league that had Partial pay at the first pitch, plus a "per inning fee" for the first 5 innings to reach the full game fee.  So, for example, if the full game fee was $70, then $35 to start, plus $5 / inning for the first 5 innings.  So, if we cancelled in the middle of the second, $45.

 

Different leagues had different definitions of "leave the house: -- sometimes the league had to notify us 2 hours before game time; some 4 hours; some as little as an hour.

[GreyhoundAggie]

For HS I am not positive on this since it so rarely happens, but I believe we are not entitled to our game fees until a pitch is thrown. Then we are entitled to the full game fee even if the game is called right after that for weather, etc.

If we show up and then there is a rainout, its tough luck for us except i believe the schools owe us travel money ($15-$30 usually depending on how far away the school is). 

[aaluck]

On 7/9/2021 at 7:07 AM, noumpere said:

So, for example, if the full game fee was $70, then $35 to start, plus $5 / inning for the first 5 innings.  So, if we cancelled in the middle of the second, $45.

I don't like that. 

[The Man in Blue]

In my experience around Central IL, for high school, you get paid if you show up (and they did not try to contact you). 

Lesson learned: don't answer your phone after you leave the house.  I had a game that got rained out while I was on the way.  The AD called and told me, so I turned around and went home.  I was fine with that until I found out my partner didn't listen to the message they left for him so he showed up at the school and they paid him.

For tournaments, I've only seen pay for what you've worked once you are there.  Once the game starts, it is a game.  When I was slated to UIC (before COVID), I was trying to develop a better policy because the organization was complaining about umpires who would rush out to start a game when they knew they shouldn't, just so they could collect a check.  (They didn't like that I pointed out their policy was as much to blame as that umpire.)

As kind of a follow-up question ... what is YOUR policy for sitting around at tournaments?  What policies have you seen?  It drives me up a wall to stick around and wait for hours for no compensation for my time.

[The Man in Blue]

On 7/9/2021 at 7:07 AM, noumpere said:

All of the above (and probably most of the below), plus one league that had Partial pay at the first pitch, plus a "per inning fee" for the first 5 innings to reach the full game fee.  So, for example, if the full game fee was $70, then $35 to start, plus $5 / inning for the first 5 innings.  So, if we cancelled in the middle of the second, $45.

 

Not a fan of that either.  If they are going to do that, they should also tack on $5/inning for extra innings.

[Mudisfun]

On 7/12/2021 at 12:54 PM, The Man in Blue said:

In my experience around Central IL, for high school, you get paid if you show up (and they did not try to contact you). 

Lesson learned: don't answer your phone after you leave the house.  I had a game that got rained out while I was on the way.  The AD called and told me, so I turned around and went home.  I was fine with that until I found out my partner didn't listen to the message they left for him so he showed up at the school and they paid him.

For tournaments, I've only seen pay for what you've worked once you are there.  Once the game starts, it is a game.  When I was slated to UIC (before COVID), I was trying to develop a better policy because the organization was complaining about umpires who would rush out to start a game when they knew they shouldn't, just so they could collect a check.  (They didn't like that I pointed out their policy was as much to blame as that umpire.)

As kind of a follow-up question ... what is YOUR policy for sitting around at tournaments?  What policies have you seen?  It drives me up a wall to stick around and wait for hours for no compensation for my time.

Was slated to work a TB game on the varsity field which was scheduled to start at say 10am... there was another game on the JV field which started at 930. Well... someone forgot to turn off the sprinklers overnight (can you say Bull Durham?) and the field was completely unplayable. They expected me to wait for the game on the JV field to end (so what, 2, 2.5 hours?) and then work their game for the same $70. Told them no... they could pay me to sit in the lot and wait around, and then pay for the game OR I can call the assignor and see if he can find someone for them, but considering the last minute nature, that was doubtful. They actually chose to cancel and not play at all... Sucked losing out on the game fee, but no way was I sitting there for a couple hours just waiting for free.

Had a HS coach call me to cancel as I was leaving the office to head out to their game. Seems they forgot to actually schedule the game with the other team, who obviously was not showing up since they knew nothing about the game! As the AD's office had confirmed the game was scheduled and they were the cause of the error, they paid me in full for the missed game, which was nice of them considering I had not left work yet to drive to the school. 

 

So basically... cash games in general, if you say play, you're paid (should have $$$ in hand already at the plate meeting). Assignor pay games the policy depends on the assignor and or their agreement with the league, but in my experience, cancellations are rare (So Cal weather is not normally an issue). HS, there is a policy in place depending on when the game cancels if you get paid at all, receive a 1/2 or full game fee. But again, in So Cal, cancellations at the last moment are rare.