02/02/26 04:33:00
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02/02 16:31 CST WNBA and players' union meet for 3 hours to try to push forward
stalled CBA negotiations
WNBA and players' union meet for 3 hours to try to push forward stalled CBA
negotiations
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
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.
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 didn't feel that proposal was much different than the
previous one the union had sent.
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.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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