On Tuesday, the WNBA offered to extend the negotiations for new CBA by 30 days.
WNBA players have yet to accept, with a source telling ESPN and Front Office Sports that players could agree to an extension “under the right circumstances,” yet “those circumstances do not yet exist.”
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If an extension is not reached, the CBA expires Friday, Oct. 31. At that point, without a new CBA , both sides could continue to negotiate. But, those conditions could also result in a work stoppage, with the players going on strike or the owners locking out the players.
Speaking on The Athletic’s “No Offseason” podcast, Erin Drake, a WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel, indicated that a new CBA will not be agreed to by the Friday deadline, explaining:
We have worked hard to be able to say on Friday, we did it. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. In a dance, it takes two to tango. And it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm and to find the same sense of urgency [from the league], just to be frank, to get this done.
The league has rebutted Drake’s assertions, with a WNBA spokesperson telling ESPN and Front Office Sports:
We have been negotiating with the Players Association in good faith and with urgency for several months with the goal of finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement as quickly as possible. Throughout this process, we have been clear that our top priority is reaching a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses players’ ask for significant increases in pay, benefits and enhancements to their experience, while ensuring the long-term growth and success of the league and its teams.
We urge the Players Association to spend less time disseminating public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement across the table.
The WNBPA further communicated their stance in an Instagram post featuring photos of fans with players, except with blacked-out outlines of the players, and the caption, “Who’s missing? These moments wouldn’t be possible without the players.”
