The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association have agreed to a 30-day extension to continue negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement, The Athletic reported Thursday.
The two sides could have continued negotiating in good faith beyond the Oct. 31 expiration of the current CBA, but an official extension closes the door, at least temporarily, on a potential work stoppage — be it a player-initiated strike or owner-initiated lockout. The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a 60-day extension when negotiating the CBA in 2019. A new deal was signed in January 2020.
Advertisement
The WNBPA opted out of the current CBA last year, declaring it was time for “transformational change.”
The extension of their current agreement with the league comes as tensions continue building publicly between the two sides, with player compensation and revenue sharing among the most contentious topics.
WNBPA senior adviser and legal counsel Erin D. Drake told The Athletic earlier this week there would not be an agreement by Friday’s deadline, citing difficulty finding “the same sense of urgency” from the league to complete a deal.
“We have worked hard to be able to say on Friday, we did it. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen,” Drake said on the “No Offseason” podcast Tuesday. “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.”
Advertisement
Drake’s comments came a day after a WNBA spokesperson released a statement to IndyStar pushing back against accusations of the league engaging in delay and accusing the Players Association of misrepresenting the league’s proposal, calling it “frustrating and counterproductive.”
“While we have delivered comprehensive proposals that seek an agreement that will benefit all, the Players Association has yet to offer a viable economic proposal and has repeatedly refused to engage in any meaningful way on many of our proposal terms,” the statement read. “We stand ready to continue negotiating in good faith and hope they will do the same so that we can finalize a mutually beneficial new CBA as quickly as possible.”
Extending the current CBA does allow the WNBA offseason to proceed as scheduled as negotiations continue. The draft lottery, typically held in November, and expansion draft, typically held in December, are the next major events on the calendar.
Players are also allowed to continue using team facilities.
Advertisement
A new CBA must be ratified prior to free agency, which typically begins in January.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel and join Fever Insider Live.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: WNBAPA, WNBA agree to 30-day extension on CBA negotiations
