Plum and Stewart Question WNBA CBA Negotiations Handling

Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart Express Concerns About WNBA CBA Negotiations

Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart, members of the WNBPA executive committee, sent a three-page letter to the executive director of the players’ union, Terri Jackson. In the letter, they expressed serious concerns about the handling of the current negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), including the lack of adequate player involvement in the process. In the communication, Plum, first vice president of the union, and Stewart, vice president, requested a change in the dynamic between the association’s administrators and the players. They stated that they do not feel they have an adequate seat at the negotiating table. According to sources, the union held a call with its players to address the issues raised by Stewart and Plum, as well as the results of a survey by the players’ association conducted in recent days on the league’s proposals for the CBA. The letter was sent almost a week before the March 10 deadline set by the league to complete an agreement for the new CBA. The 2026 regular season is scheduled to begin on May 8, but before that, the league must conduct the college draft, the two-team expansion draft, and free agency for more than 100 players. The letter begins with Plum and Stewart expressing their gratitude for Jackson’s leadership and the results obtained in the last decade, adding that they believe she seeks the best for the players.

We are frustrated because we have not achieved more progress as we approach the March 10 deadline, and we believe this is the result of a breakdown in communication between you and the Executive Committee and the players in general.

Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart

The WNBPA union chose not to renew the previous CBA almost 17 months ago, in October 2024, and negotiations have intensified in the last eight months. Stewart and Plum claim to have had access to details of these negotiations for less than two months, having seen a proposal for the first time in January, and that they have repeatedly requested information from the association’s staff without receiving it.

Despite a year and a half of negotiations, we haven’t participated in a meaningful way.

Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart

Among the requested information is a detailed breakdown of WNBA expenses and revenues, a comparative analysis of potential losses for players in a delayed or shortened season, a clear description of how rookie salaries will be structured, information on OneTeam Partners distributions, and a clear articulation of the roles and responsibilities of the executive committee.

In a letter, Breanna Stewart and Kelsey Plum said they are “concerned about the impact that a work stoppage or disruption would have on the overall financial health of the league” and believe it’s time to negotiate outside of the WNBA’s revenue-sharing proposals. Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images.

As we understand it, the role of the Executive Committee is to help define the overall goals and priorities of the CBA and to serve as a bridge between its negotiating team and the general membership, which ultimately helps to ensure the approval of any agreement by the players. Without access to the information requested above, the Executive Committee cannot fulfill this role, and the players cannot be expected to participate meaningfully in a process from which they have largely been excluded.

Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart

Stewart and Plum requested an executive committee meeting within 24 hours to discuss the requested information, which turned into a meeting with all the players. Additionally, they expressed their frustration with the way their concerns have been received by the players’ association.

When we and other players have tried to express concerns about the negotiations, we have been made to feel as though we were acting against the interests of the association. Many other players throughout the league feel these same frustrations and have expressed them to us, but they feel scared or unable to speak.

Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart

Plum and Stewart indicated that this dynamic between union administrators and players has begun to create unnecessary divisions at a time when a united front and an informed player body are essential to achieve maximum leverage. Last week, nearly a dozen player agents sent a letter to Jackson, expressing their collective preference for transparency and coordinated communication in negotiations, as well as the possibility of reviewing the league’s current proposal.