The WNBA has offered players a 30-day extension to continue negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement, two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press late Tuesday.
The current agreement expires on Friday and tensions have been rising in recent weeks as the parties try to work on a new agreement. The league is willing to move the deadline because no official announcement has been made, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The contract extension will give both sides more time to reach a new agreement, which will change the players' salary situation. In 2019, when the last CBA expired, the parties agreed to a 60-day extension and ultimately ratified the current CBA in January 2020.
It is unclear whether the union will accept the extension.
ESPN was the first to report the renewal proposal.
WNBPA senior counsel and legal counsel Erin D. Drake said in a podcast published by The Athletic that “it takes two to tango” and no deal would be reached by Friday.
The league responded with a statement condemning any suggestion that it was acting in bad faith.
“We encourage the Players Association to spend less time spreading public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement at the negotiating table,” the statement said.
The two sides have been meeting over the past few weeks, including one meeting in New York earlier this month, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details of the meeting were not publicly discussed.
Players exercised their right to opt out of the current CBA last year in hopes of receiving, among other things, increased revenue sharing, higher salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap.
The WNBA's proposals so far have clearly not gone down well with the players, although it is unclear how much the sides differ in salary terms. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during the WNBA Finals that the league, like the players, wants a “transformational deal” with significant increases in salaries and benefits.
With tensions between the league and players seemingly at an all-time high, CBC Sports explains what's happening in the WNBA.
