NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and the players’ union met for a few hours Monday for the first time in several weeks to try to move the stalled collective bargaining negotiations forward.
Union president Nneka Ogwumike walked out of the NBA offices around 1:30 p.m. — three hours after she got there — and said “no sorry we can’t (talk)” when asked for comment. She was joined by executive committee members Brianna Turner and Alysha Clark. Kelsey Plum and Napheesa Collier planned on being at the meeting but had flight issues getting to New York from Miami, so they Zoomed in along with Breanna Stewart.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and members of the labor relations committee were in attendance, as well as New York Liberty owners Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai, Seattle owner Ginny Gilder and Storm co-owner Sue Bird. Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia attended the meeting on teleconference, as well as about 40 players.
Two people familiar with Monday’s discussions said players and owners talked directly to each other during the meeting. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
Talks to reach a new CBA haven’t had much traction over the last few weeks as the union says it is waiting for a response to a proposal it sent around Christmas that included a 30% gross revenue share for the players.
According to a different person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP last month, the league previously didn’t feel that proposal was much different than the previous one the union had sent and didn’t warrant a new response. That person spoke on condition of anonymity also because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
The league’s most recent offer last month would guarantee a maximum base salary of $1 million in 2026 that could reach $1.3 million through revenue sharing.
That’s up from the current $249,000 and could grow to nearly $2 million over the life of the agreement, the person told the AP.
The two sides have been in a “status quo” period after the latest extension of the current CBA ran out on Jan. 9. They agreed to a moratorium a few days later that halted the initial stages of free agency in which teams would seek to deliver qualifying offers and franchise tag designations to players.
If a new CBA isn’t agreed upon soon, it could delay the start of the 2026 season. It’s already delayed the expansion draft for Toronto and Portland. The league did release its schedule last month with the regular season set to begin May 8.
The last CBA was announced in the middle of January 2020, a month after it had been agreed to. It could easily take two months from when a new CBA is reached to get to the start of free agency, which was supposed to begin last month.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball