MELBOURNE, Australia — Wearing white straw hats and long-sleeved orange jerseys, they trudge in single file on and off nearly two dozen tennis courts several times each day at the Australian Open.
Seared by the summer heat and locked in teams of seven or eight, line judges labor in anonymity, clustering on breaks in shaded areas awaiting assignments sometimes extending into evening.
Their U.S. Open counterparts work in similar conditions, but there is one big difference. In Australia, the 340 chair umpires and line judges receive overtime pay for their work.
In 2011, four American tennis court officials sued the United States Tennis Association, accusing it of violating fair labor laws by denying them overtime for workdays that sometimes extended to 12 hours.
The suit is being played out in depositions and pre-trial hearings before a Federal judge in Manhattan. The U.S.T.A. argues that it is exempted by law from paying overtime in part because it is a recreational organization.
In New York, the U.S.T.A. classifies court officials as independent contractors. In Melbourne, officiating is classified as a "hobby." Even so, workers here qualify for overtime pay.
According to three linespeople who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters, their work at the Australian Open pays a 25 percent bonus if their daily 10-hour shifts extend to 11 or 12 hours.
"I'm not supposed to say what our daily rate is," said one linesperson, who nevertheless confirmed that it was in "the $200 range" for a day's work.
Many courtside officials said their work, while not difficult, is tedious and fatiguing.
In Melbourne, more than a dozen smaller courts operate with no electronic replay systems, so chair umpires and line judges often face hostile players challenging their calls.
One veteran linesperson lamented that "I can't always work the big courts with the stars, gentlemen like Roger Federer."
Asked if retiring this summer would create a void after working 30 years of Australian Opens, the linesperson laughed: "Would you miss a toothache?"
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Straight Sets: Under the Hot Courtside Sun, a Fight Over Pay
Dengan url
https://suporterfanatikos.blogspot.com/2013/01/straight-sets-under-hot-courtside-sun.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Straight Sets: Under the Hot Courtside Sun, a Fight Over Pay
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Straight Sets: Under the Hot Courtside Sun, a Fight Over Pay
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar