Negotiations Advance for a New Collective Bargaining Agreement in the WNBA
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has reported that significant progress is being made in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The talks, which have been going on for several days, seek to finalize key agreements for the future of the league. The two parties held an intense negotiation session that lasted from Sunday afternoon until the early hours of Monday morning. Engelbert highlighted the hard work that is being carried out to reach an agreement as soon as possible.Negotiations continued on Monday, extending to seven consecutive days of talks. Face-to-face meetings between the WNBA and the union have exceeded 72 hours since the first in-person session on Tuesday. Members of the union’s executive council, such as Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Alysha Clark, were among the first to leave the negotiations at 2 a.m. Nneka Ogwumike and other union leaders withdrew an hour later, after a 14-hour day. Jen Rizzotti, president of the Connecticut Sun, highlighted the determination of both parties to reach an agreement. “They want it done. I think it’s admirable to know that they are paying attention to the fact that this is crucial and time is essential and we need to have a season.” The key points under discussion are income distribution and housing. Nneka Ogwumike, union president, emphasized the importance of resolving these issues. The league’s proposals focus on net revenue (revenue after expenses), while the union has discussed gross revenue (revenue before expenses). When negotiations began more than a year ago, the union was asking for 40% of gross revenue, a figure that was reduced to 26% before Tuesday’s marathon session. The league had offered more than 70% of net revenue to the players. Housing is another crucial issue. Teams have provided housing to WNBA players from the beginning, and the league is looking to modify this practice in the new agreement. Ogwumike explained that a transition is sought where the league can provide financial support, but the complete elimination of housing provision has not yet been reached.We are working as hard as we can to achieve it as quickly as possible. It’s complex. There’s a lot. There are many system elements. There are many structural elements. … This is a big, big league and we want to do everything we can for the players. So we will keep moving forward.
Cathy Engelbert
Before negotiations began on Tuesday night, the union had requested that teams continue to pay for the players’ housing in the early years of the new agreement. In the last two years of the agreement, franchises would no longer have to pay for the housing of players who earn near the maximum salary.
In the same period, the league proposed that it would continue to pay for the housing of all players for the next season and then would switch to paying only for the housing of rookies and players who earn the minimum wage. The league would also pay for the housing of the two developing players who will be added to the teams for the duration of the collective bargaining agreement. If these two main issues are resolved, the season is likely to start on time on May 8. However, time is of the essence. Engelbert did not know if training camp would be moved from April 19 if an agreement was not reached very soon. The first two preseason games of the league are on April 25, with Caitlin Clark and Indiana visiting New York and Seattle playing against Golden State. Before the preseason games occur, there’s a lot of work to be done with an expansion draft for Portland and Toronto, as well as free agency for 80% of the league. The college draft must also take place.
