WNBA commissioner confident CBA will be signed by deadline despite player concerns

New York Times

4 days ago

INDIANAPOLIS — WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Saturday she is confident that the league and the WNBPA can agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ahead of the league's Oct. 31 deadline.
The league and the WNBPA met on Thursday afternoon for multiple hours, with the meeting marking the first in-person bargaining session that players attended since December. Engelbert characterized the talks as 'constructive' and said she believed the league and players would agree to a new CBA that is 'transformational for the players, teams, owners and the future of our league.'
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'I have confidence we can get something done by October, but I'm not going to put an exact date on it,' she said. 'We've got some room to continue negotiations if we're close at that point.'
As Engelbert spoke, players from both teams took the floor wearing shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' Salary structure and revenue sharing have become a hot topic in the ongoing talks, as players expressed frustration at a recent league counterproposal.
Many players, however, gave a different characterization of Thursday's meeting than Engelbert. New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who is a vice president of the WNBPA, called it 'a wasted opportunity' and said there was 'fluff to start' the meeting. Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, also a vice president, said she hopes the league 'comes back quickly' so that dialogue can continue. Nneka Ogwumike said that they were 'hoping perhaps more would be yielded given the engagement.'
'We have a long way to go. We're gonna use this weekend to show our value and our worth and continue to be united because we do deserve more,' said Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, who is the first vice president of the WNBPA.
More than 40 players attended Thursday's meeting, a record for the union while taking part in CBA talks. WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said she felt encouraged by player participation, but did not give details on whether she considered the meeting successful.
'Negotiations are hard. They have hard conversations. … That's what today was, no different from any other negotiation,' she said.
Jackson said another meeting is scheduled 'soon,' though she did not specify a date or location.
Engelbert said that the league wants to 'significantly increase' player salaries and other benefits, but said that it is important to do so by 'balancing with our owners (and) their ability to have a path to profitability.'
The current CBA began in January 2020, and while it sparked several significant shifts in the league, such as groundbreaking maternity benefits and a notable jump in maximum player salaries, much has changed around the WNBA since.
Just two weeks ago, the WNBA announced three expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, which are set to debut in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively. All three will enter the league at a record $250 million expansion fee. A new 11-year, $2.2 billion TV deal will also go into effect next season.
Here are other things that came out of Engelbert's availability:
(Photo of Cathy Engelbert: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)