The WNBA collective bargaining agreement will expire at midnight Saturday. The league and the WNBA players’ association had 15 months to come to a new deal after the players opted out of the current CBA on Oct. 31, 2024, and agreed to two extensions.
However, the two will not agree to another.
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Neither side has triggered a work stoppage. Rather, the league will enter a period of status quo that approximates normal working conditions. Players and management can continue to contact one another, and players can access team facilities as needed.
“Despite demonstrating our willingness to compromise in order to get a deal done, the WNBA and its teams have failed to meet us at the table with the same spirit and seriousness,” the union said in a statement. “Instead, they have remained committed to undervaluing player contributions, dismissing player concerns, and running out the clock.”
The league acknowledged the CBA’s expiration in a statement released late Friday night, but said negotiations with the union remain ongoing.
“As the league experiences a pivotal time of unprecedented popularity and growth, we recognize the importance of building upon that momentum,” the league statement read. “Our priority is a deal that significantly increases player salaries, enhances the overall player experience, and supports the long-term growth of the league for current and future generations of players and fans.”
On the final day of the extension, the players’ union brought a large, inflatable rat to the NBA Store in New York City as a symbol of their protest. Still, union vice president Breanna Stewart — who is in Medley, Fla., participating in Unrivaled — said that she believes the two sides will continue to negotiate in good faith.
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The primary point of contention remains the salary structure of a new CBA. Players have proposed a system that would pay them 30 percent of gross revenue, but the league’s proposal removes expenses from the top before allocating a revenue share to players. The pair of systems would drastically improve player compensation, with average salaries topping $530,000 in the first year of the league’s proposal and exceeding $800,000 in the union’s latest offer. The maximum salary in the present CBA is about $250,000.
Other sticking points remain, including the length of the schedule, retirement benefits and the core designation in free agency.
The WNBA has never missed games due to a work stoppage since its inception in 1997. The last two negotiations required extensions but did not result in the CBA lapsing to cause a period of status quo.
Since the calendar has flipped to January, the league could technically begin free agency during the status quo period; the expired CBA would dictate contract terms. However, it would be unlikely that players would commit to signing contracts under an outdated financial model when a windfall is on the way in a new CBA.
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The league and players could also agree to a moratorium that suspends free agency until a new agreement is signed, thus eliminating the possibility of players/teams signing contracts out of turn. The WNBA has extended a moratorium offer to the players that the union is reviewing, as of Friday night.
If and when a new deal is agreed upon during the offseason, the WNBA must conduct an expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, free agency, a college draft and then training camp.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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