WNBA and players' union meet to discuss new CBA

[December 12, 2024]  By DOUG FEINBERG

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and the league's players union met in person Wednesday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement.

“Today’s meeting included preliminary conversations and constructive dialogue, with a mutual agreement to continue discussions for a transformational, new CBA,” the two sides said in a joint statement.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks at a news conference before Game 1 of basketball's WNBA Finals between the Connecticut Sun and the Washington Mystics, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

The WNBA players union opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, two years before its expiration in October. The current CBA will still cover the 2025 season so the two sides have a year to negotiate a new agreement.

The early opt-out marks a crucial juncture for the league. The WNBA signed a historic 11-year media rights deal worth $200 million a year.

The league had record attendance and viewership this year that culminated when the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx in overtime on Oct. 20 to win the WNBA Finals in a decisive fifth game.

At the meeting on Wednesday were WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike as well as Kelsey Plum, Elizabeth Williams, Napheesa Collier, Satou Sabally, DiJonai Carrington and Stefanie Dolson. WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson and additional union staff and advisors were there as well.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was joined by WNBA Labor Relations Committee members and additional league staff and advisors.

The league has been skyrocketing, with 2024 marking a huge breakthrough after years of significant and sustained growth. ESPN had huge increases in ratings with viewership in the regular season going up 170%, according to the union.

Engelbert said at her state-of-the-league address before Game 1 of the Finals that with the new media rights deal in place and many more corporate partners the strength of the league is in a great spot. She also went on to say that the players have been getting a lot more marketing deals, making them into household names.

The union said it was hoping for a new economic model that transforms the current system, which imposes arbitrary and restrictive caps on the value and benefits of players. The players want an equity-based model that grows and evolves with the league’s increased business success.

Other areas that the union would like to see improved include salaries, retirement benefits, better child care and family planning benefits.

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