rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
WNBA players are entertaining the idea of a lockout, and the iron is hot.
Last October, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association announced players were opting out of the WNBA/WNBPA collective bargaining agreement.
The CBA wasn’t set to expire until 2027.
The WNBPA — the first labor union for professional female athletes — opted out of the previous CBA in 2018 too.
Earlier this month, Angel Reese and DiJonai Carrington discussed the possibility of a players’ strike. Reese felt the general sentiment among players was, “if y’all don’t give us what we want, we sitting out,” which Carrington all but confirmed.
The WNBPA Council indicated it would give greater priority to fair wages, pregnancy and family planning support, retirement benefits and improved travel accommodations during CBA talks.
Naturally, most of the contract negotiations will be centered around wage parity and media rights.
A few months before the opt-out decision, WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson shared her concerns about the NBA’s valuation of the WNBA in media rights deals.
Only last year did the WNBA start providing charter flights to team personnel after receiving public criticism from players.
Further, it’s common for WNBA players to play overseas during the offseason to supplement their income and sharpen their skills despite league restrictions. But this year, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart led the way to establish a domestic professional three-on-three league that complied with the WNBA, known as the Unrivaled Basketball League.
Players have been able to find workarounds to less-than-ideal work conditions, whether it’s competing in Unrivaled or securing corporate partnerships to supplement their income.
But what about family life?
Like all workers, professional athletes are so much more than their labor output — they wield multiple titles, which for some includes “Mom.”
Niele Ivey was drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2001 and became pregnant with her son Jaden — now a guard for the Detroit Pistons — in the midst of her rookie season.
Ivey recently revealed that she initially hid her pregnancy and continued to play, worried she would face salary cuts.
Over the following twenty years, player advocates made significant progress despite ongoing challenges.
For example, benefits policies in the 2020 CBA developed significantly from the 2014 agreement.
The section extended beyond pregnancy disability benefits, which now grants players on maternity leave their full salaries as opposed to half as in the previous CBA. The section also includes provisions for childcare assistance, family planning and accommodations for nursing mothers.
But in 2023, Dearica Hamby filed a lawsuit alleging that Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon and others mistreated her on account of her pregnancy.
Hamby was traded to the Sparks from the Aces, which she quickly responded to with a statement suggesting that it was retaliation for her pregnancy.
“To be treated this way by an organization, [and by] women who are mothers, who have claimed to ‘be in these shoes,’ who preach family, chemistry and women’s empowerment is disappointing and leaves me sick to my stomach,” she said. “We fought for provisions that would finally support and protect player parents.”
In denying these allegations, Hammon said “I’ve never had an HR complaint… because Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the player’s union, she didn’t file with the WNBA.”
The players union called for an investigation at the time, but have yet to see what came of it.
If the players union truly wants to prevent what Hamby experienced from happening to other players, they should take a hard look at the benefits policy and determine what further proposals they can make.
One way they could achieve this would be to institute a retaliation clause, such as what is outlined in the Joint WNBA/WNBPA Policy on Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse. This would promote accountability and address power imbalances.
Collier addressed the situation this week, saying, “no one wants a walkout, but I think we have to stand firm on what we think we deserve in this new CBA.”
I empathize with Collier — striking is not an easy decision to make. A strike usually comes as a last resort, but it’s clear not much has changed despite the recent growth of the league.
I also understand concerns that players would be stopping a great deal of momentum by sitting out at a time where ratings are better than ever.
But the issue at hand is not about growing women’s basketball — it’s about sustaining it.
It isn’t inconsiderate to make demands or express concerns, especially like those of Hamby, and the players are only made stronger by organizing.
It’s evident WNBA leadership likes to pick and choose when to bargain fairly or accommodate players who need support.
If players are tired of doing this dance, they should institute a strike and withhold their labor.
The WNBPA has embodied advocacy since its inception in 1996. Protesting unfair labor practices would be yet another way for them to fight for what is fair, and it would do them a disservice to accept anything less than what they deserve in the next CBA.
If “it’s business” — like the WNBPA declared in its opt out — stand on it by striking.
