💰 MONEY MOVES

THE ROAD TO CBA NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUES

The moment hasn’t arrived quite yet.

Since October 21, 2024, we’ve been on a long, winding road to the expiration of the WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. There have been plenty of bumps in the road as WNBA players fight for the past, present, and future of this game. Players have felt frustrated with what they perceive as the league’s slow pace in negotiations and the lack of progress in reaching an agreement. The original deadline for the league and PA to reach an agreement was October 31, which was practically impossible.

Earlier in the week, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA offered the WNBPA a 30-day extension to continue talks. It didn’t appear likely, as according to the PA at the time, the circumstances for an extension “do not yet exist.” However, it appears things have changed enough for talks to continue.

Late on October 30, the two sides came to an agreement to extend the CBA talks. The new deadline for agreeing to a new CBA is November 30. Although both groups agreed to an extension, the option to escalate remains present:

Even with more time, the two sides are very far apart on some critical issues. According to Ben Pickman of The Athletic:

“The topic of revenue sharing, however, emerged as the wedge issue throughout the talks. Players have been adamant about enacting a new framework that would not only adjust how league revenue is allocated but also how league revenue would impact player salaries. The union has repeatedly proposed a salary framework tied to the WNBA's business, in which player salaries are linked to a percentage of the league's revenue. The WNBA, meanwhile, has proposed a revenue-sharing system similar in structure to what is currently in the CBA, with a fixed salary cap and additional uncapped revenue sharing but only if league revenue exceeds certain targets.”

As we discussed in the October 24 edition of the WBB Roundup, the league does not see revenue sharing as a “the right way to look at” this situation.

The WNBA wants to raise salaries for players, but by not tying it to revenue, they won’t be connecting players to the influx of money coming into the league now and in the future. That won’t fly with the players, so the league has a lot of work to do between now and the end of November.

Everyone around the league hopes the extension will lead to more productive talks and a new agreement at the end of this road. With the amount of money coming into the league and critical issues still left to be addressed, getting a deal done is of the utmost importance.

There’s more time to work something out, but no one can afford to take things for granted. There’s too much on the line.