The National Basketball Officials Association (NBOA) was founded in 1973 due to labor conditions that National Basketball Association (NBA) referees deemed as unfit. At the time, the informal union believed that their salary and benefits were grossly inadequate.
It was not until 1977 that the union became known as the National Association of Basketball Referees (NABR). Today, they are the National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA).
In 1977, once the union was officially formed, the NBRA voted to strike during NBA playoffs because the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) had not been renegotiated with the NBA. This resulted in the NBA hiring replacement referees throughout the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, however, fans and athletes complained about the effectiveness of their officiating.
Due to scrutiny surrounding the replacement referees, the NBA settled the strike and recognized the NBRA as the sole bargaining unit for the referees. All NBA referees are members of the NBRA.
Five years later, in September 1983, after the expiration of the CBA, the NBA once again hired replacement referees during the pre-season and beginning of the regular season. The following month, the NBRA filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board because the referees were asked to leave Madison Square Garden during a unified protest in which they circled the basketball court twice and gave out whistles to spectators outside of the arena. In December of 1983, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service entered the dispute and announced a new three-year CBA.
The NBA once again announced that they will lock out referees in September 1995 because of a "no-strike clause" in the CBA proposal. In December 1995, the NBRA agrees to accept the NBA's latest offer, signing a five-year agreement, and resume officiating games.
In September of 1997, the NBA and NBRA broke historic ground by adding their first female referees, Dee Kanter and Violet Palmer.
Today, the NBRA represents 62 referees and 13 retired referees.
To unite into one Association all referees employed by the NBA regardless of religion, race, creed, color, national origin, age or sex.
To secure improved wages, working conditions and other economic advantages, through organization, negotiations, collective bargaining, through legal economic means and other lawful methods.
To safeguard, advance and promote the principle of free collective bargaining.
To safeguard, advance and promote the security and welfare of its members.
To protect and preserve the Association as an institution and to perform its legal and contractual obligations.
To further promote the game of professional basketball and to improve, to whatever degree possible, the quality of the officiating in the NBA.