The Women’s National Basketball Players Association sees now as the time to get a new collective bargaining agreement done.
The WNBPA opted out of the current CBA last fall, so both sides are now on the clock when it comes to a new deal. The agreement expires Oct. 31.
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson promised Thursday that the union will take a highly aggressive approach in its bid to get a new deal done.
“We’ve been aggressive in terms of our discussions, our proposals — plural — and our meeting schedule,” Jackson said, according to Front Office Sports. “It’s a group project. We’re doing our part of it, and we’re just hopeful that the league sees the opportunity to have those milestones in place, work towards significant progress — it’s not just a catchphrase — by the halfway point, and work towards completion by October 31.”
WNBA players would like see an increase in salaries — the maximum is currently $249,244 — and improved benefits. The current system also limits a team’s possible replacement options when a player goes on maternity leave.
Jackson declined to rule out a possible work stoppage. So has Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, the vice president of the WNBPA.
“We have the most leverage we’ve ever had as WNBA players and we have to use it to our advantage,” Collier recently said. “The time for change is right now.”
The league is hoping a work stoppage never occurs.
“We remain committed to working with the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all parties and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” a WNBA spokesperson said.
Of course, last summer’s announcement of an 11-year media rights deal worth $2.2 billion is surely going to be a big part of negotiations. That $200 million annual compensation helped lead to the union’s decision to opt out of the current deal.
“We opted out early to get things going,” Jackson said. “We’re using time to our advantage. We’re hopeful that the league sees it that way also.”
–Field Level Media
