For the primary time in months, the WNBA’s management met with gamers in individual on Monday afternoon. Entrance Workplace Sports activities reported that the assembly — which lasted over 3 hours — was held so the edges might talk with out having to undergo middlemen. Communication and negotiations have been solely by means of legal professionals and paperwork over the previous few months. With the season set to tip off on Might 8, time could be very tight in the case of getting a brand new contract in place and with the ability to put together to start out the season on time.
As reported final week by ESPN, the WNBA hadn’t responded to the gamers’ newest proposal for over a month. Annie Costabile of FOS reviews that the league got here into right this moment’s assembly nonetheless not having a response to that proposal, however informed gamers right this moment that they’ll “start working” on one.
Clearly, this assembly isn’t going to lead to a brand new CBA being signed sooner. Not that anybody actually anticipated them to return out right this moment and magically come to phrases on a brand new contract, however listening to that the WNBA hasn’t even began engaged on a response but? When coaching camp is meant to start out in somewhat over two months? It feels just like the TikTok sound — “Have you learnt you will have thirty minutes?? Thirty minutes???“
WNBPA President, Nneka Ogwumike, who was current on the assembly together with different members of the PA’s government committee, hoped for a special consequence. She informed FOS that she hoped to listen to that the league had a response to that proposal. Truthful, given they submitted it six weeks in the past.
This was after final week, when she informed Breakaway’s personal Noa Dalzell that gamers aren’t feeling any time crunch on their finish that might circumvent their efforts to get the deal they really feel they deserve.
“Ideally, this is able to have gotten accomplished somewhat bit earlier, however we would like a superb deal, fairly than one which’s accomplished in a vogue that fits a schedule,” Ogwumike informed Breakaway then. “And so we’re trying ahead to with the ability to come out of this happy with what we’ve negotiated, happy with the method, whereas additionally trying ahead to having a season. Our gamers need to play, we need to play, however we additionally need to be valued on the courtroom — and that’s one thing that we’re negotiating for right this moment.”
The 2 sides nonetheless seem like far aside on most negotiation factors. The newest WNBA proposal, for instance, included a max wage of $1.3 million and income sharing on web earnings. The gamers’ response to that was to have the group wage cap raised to $10.5 million, and to base the revenue-sharing program on gross earnings, not web. Per FOS, the factors of wage, income sharing, housing, retirement advantages and what they name “skilled requirements” are the gamers’ prime priorities. These skilled requirements embody issues like group facility requirements and staffing necessities.
With a number of WNBA executives and group homeowners in attendance, in addition to over 40 WNBA gamers becoming a member of by way of zoom, it didn’t look like a lot was really achieved within the assembly. It was the primary time an in-person assembly had been held because the WNBA Finals have been wrapping up in October.
Ogwumike and Alysha Clark (Vice President of the gamers’ union) informed FOS they felt an absence of urgency from the league right this moment. With it now being February, and the WNBA going full pace forward with saying the season schedule and getting ready to start out the season on Might 8, urgency is beginning to really feel vital.
The looming query is now the thought of the gamers placing. Clark informed FOS that doing so is “nonetheless on the desk” after right this moment’s assembly, however there are nonetheless a number of issues that would wish to occur earlier than they even get to that. It looks as if the gamers will await the league’s newest response — at any time when that comes — to start out discussing strike prospects.
And if the league has any intention of beginning the season when it mentioned it was going to, its legal professionals and commissioner ought to in all probability get on that.
