WNBA and Players’ Union Continue Their Fourth Day of CBA Negotiations
WNBA and Players’ Union Continue CBA Negotiations Amid Deadline Pressure
NEW YORK — The WNBA and its players’ union resumed negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on Friday, marking the fourth consecutive day of talks. This session followed a grueling 16-hour meeting that concluded just hours earlier.
Since beginning in-person discussions on Tuesday, the two parties have dedicated nearly 40 hours to negotiating a new CBA. The league has indicated that an agreement is essential for the upcoming season to commence on schedule.
During Thursday’s lengthy meeting, discussions veered towards several topics apart from the primary issue of revenue sharing, a major point of contention between the two sides, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The union’s leadership departed early Friday morning around 3 a.m. EDT, soon followed by league representatives. Both sides reconvened by 11 a.m.
Revenue sharing remains the core disagreement.
In a significant development, the league presented increased salary cap proposals on Wednesday evening, raising the first year’s cap to $6.2 million from the previous offer of $5.75 million. The details were shared by another source, who also requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert described the latest proposal as a “real historic and transformational deal” for the players. “Huge gains and salaries, benefits, everything you’re seeing, but beyond that when you see the whole thing, huge, huge benefits,” she remarked, emphasizing the importance of balancing the players’ gains with the league’s health.
Last season, each team’s salary cap stood at $1.5 million, with average player salaries around $120,000. Under the proposed changes, average salaries would jump to $570,000 in the first year and reach $850,000 by year six. The maximum salary for players could exceed $1.3 million in the first year and approach $2 million by the final year.
The league had set a deadline of Tuesday for a handshake agreement to ensure that the season could start as planned. However, union president Nneka Ogwumike stated that the union did not regard the deadline as a significant constraint. “We haven’t ever really considered that as a timeline that’s been something to prioritize on our side, because we have always been negotiating in good faith,” she said.
Once a principle agreement is established, the league anticipates requiring several weeks to finalize the CBA. Following this, an expansion draft for new franchises in Portland and Toronto is expected to occur between April 1-6.
Qualifying offers for free agents, including franchise player tags, are set to be distributed on April 7-8. Teams will then have three days to negotiate with the majority of their free agents, with the signing period scheduled from April 12-18. Training camps are slated to begin the following day, allowing the season to kick off on May 8.
