The WNBA and its players have yet to agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The current CBA expired following the 2025 season. The league and its players have yet to agree to a new deal. There’s currently a Jan. 9, 2026, deadline. What happens if there is no deal by then?
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Well, the league’s players have voted for a “significant” move, according to a WNBAPA spokesman.
The WNBAPA announced that 98 percent of participating players voted to give the union’s executive committee the authority to “call a strike when necessary.” Of all the WNBA’s players, 93 percent voted in the latest poll.
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 23: Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky and Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever look on during the second half against the Chicago Sky on June 23, 2024 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
The WNBAPA is threatening the move.
“The players have spoken,” the WNBPA said in a statement. “Through a decisive vote with historic participation, our membership has authorized the WNBPA’s Executive Committee to call a strike when necessary. The players’ decision is an unavoidable response to the state of negotiations with the WNBA and its teams.”
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However, a strike isn’t imminent.
“The players’ vote is neither a call for an immediate strike nor an intention to pursue one,” the statement continued. “Rather, it is an emphatic affirmation of the players’ confidence in their leadership and their unwavering solidarity against ongoing efforts to divide, conquer and undervalue them.”
New York Liberty start Breanna Stewart knows that a big move could be necessary.
“What we’re doing right now isn’t really working,” Stewart said. “If they’re not going to budge, we’re going to get to this point where we’re just going to be at a standoff.
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“If we’re not going to be valued the way that we know we should be, in the way that every kind of number situation tells us, then we’re just not going to do something that doesn’t make sense for us.”
The WNBA wants to avoid the strike
“While we acknowledge the players’ right to authorize a future work stoppage, we strongly disagree with the WNBPA’s characterization of the current state of negotiations, which fundamentally misrepresents the ongoing discussions taking place at the bargaining table,” the WNBA said in a statement.
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“It is difficult to understand claims that the league is resistant to change,” the league added, citing proposed salary increases and “a new uncapped revenue-sharing model that would ensure continued salary growth tied to revenue growth.”
WNBA players want significant salary increases, while the league wants to remain smart in business terms.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
