It’s just one day to the second CBA negotiation extension deadline, yet the two parties remain apart. Now, the WNBPA is prepared for every necessary action. The players had already voted in mid-December to authorize the executive committee to call a strike if “necessary.” So, what’s next?

For now, the two parties will enter a period of “status quo,” continuing the current CBA while negotiating a new deal.

“We are not coming to an agreement by tomorrow, I can tell you that,” Stewart said Thursday after practice at Unrivaled. “We’re just going to continue to negotiate in good faith.”

But this isn’t the only decision the WNBPA has announced. The union has also created “Player Hubs” so that players can continue to train and keep their fitness levels high in the event of a work stoppage. Additionally, access to facilities at Stanford, Cal, UNLV, and Manhattan, along with training and recovery centers operated by Bay Club and Exos, has also been secured

“These facilities are valuing our players, opening their doors, and saying, ‘We’ve got you.’ That kind of support means everything to our members,” WNBPA senior vice president of player relations Jayne Appel Marinelli disclosed, “These hubs are about standing together and making sure every player has what they need to stay ready and keep doing what they love.”

So while Breanna Stewart mentioned a strike is “not something that we’re going to do right this second, but we have that in our back pocket,” the union seems to be prepared for every possible scenario beforehand. 

That too when they’ve got an illustrative offer on the table. This includes over 70% of net revenue, and a maximum base salary growing over $2 million. Yet WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said in a statement that this is nowhere near a “good deal.”

Why Isn’t The WNBPA Taking Up The Offer?

The union wants 30% of the gross revenue of the league. But the WNBA is offering net revenue, which is after subtracting expenses. That is why the WNBPA, who believe the league should not pay the players last, disagrees with the league.

But if you ask the league, fulfilling the union’s demands would put it at a $700 million loss over the life of the agreement. That would be more than the combined losses of the league and its teams in the last 29 years. 

However, the union still believes the proposed revenue-sharing model would put the league in a “profitable position”. And that’s exactly where the two parties are stuck right now.

“While we are both seemingly far apart, there is a place where we can come and find mutual ground,” Breanna Stewart noted, after Thursday’s practice at Unrivaled.

So what do you think? Will a new CBA be done?

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Joyita Das