NFL To Have Replacement Ref's?

From the Chicago Tribune: NFL officials aim to go largely unnoticed, but now they simply are feeling unappreciated.
Locked-out in a labor fight, officials are facing the prospect of being supplanted -- at least temporarily -- by vastly less-experienced replacements, some of whom have been plucked from the high school or junior college ranks.
What's more, the league has told nine of the most respected former officials who later became officiating trainers to turn in their computers and they no longer have access to the NFL's computer system. Their transgression was refusing to train the replacements, who Friday were in Dallas for their first clinic.
"We feel that we're fired," said Jerry Markbreit, an 33-year official-turned-trainer who was the referee in four Super Bowls and eight conference championships. "They haven't formally notified us, but it sure feels like we're fired."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-nfl-fires-9-prominent-officials-20120720,0,4150404.story
I usually side with management on labor issues, but in this case, the NFL referees are being screwed.  The ref's make between $25,000 to about $125,000 a year, though these are considered to be part time jobs.
The ref's are the best in professional sports.NBA ref's are jokes and could double as professional wrestling referees.
Baseball umpires are arrogant and would unable to handle the abuse the NFL ref's get.
I don't watch enough NHL hockey to judge their referees, but they may be very close to in terms of quality of the NFL ref's.
The NFL ref's should be full time ref's and get paid accordingly or if not full time, then they should get a sizable pay increase.  The NFL brings loads of money and who, on the field, protect the investments of the owners?  It's the ref who make sure the game is played safe and fair. 
So, let's not play games and let the real referees call the games.  They've earned it.