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NEW YORK — The WNBA and players union have agreed to a 30-day extension to continue negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with a caveat.
The players can terminate the extension at any time with two days’ notice to the league.
“While we believed negotiations would be further along, the players are more focused, united and determined than ever to reach an agreement that reflects their value and undeniable impact on the league,” the union statement said.
The current CBA was set to expire Friday and tensions have been rising in recent weeks as the sides try to work toward a new deal.
The new Nov. 30 deadline gives the sides more time to come up with a new deal that would be transformational for the players in terms of salary. In 2019, when the last CBA deal had expired, the sides agreed to a 60-day extension and eventually ratified the current CBA in January 2020.
The sides have had meetings over the past few days, including in New York on Thursday.
Had an extension not been reached by Friday, the sides would have had three options: let things continue as is, have the players go on strike or the owners lock them out. A strike or lockout didn’t really make sense for either side to do.
Players have already been paid for the past season and they have health insurance through April 30, 2026. There are no major events for the league on the immediate horizon until an expansion draft for new teams Portland and Toronto. The expansion draft for Golden State took place last December.
The players exercised their right to opt out of the current CBA last year with hopes of getting, among other things, increased revenue sharing, higher salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap.
The WNBA’s offers to this point have clearly not been to the players’ liking, although it is unclear how far apart the sides are in terms of salary parameters. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during the WNBA Finals that the league — like the players — wants a “transformative deal” done with significant increases to salary and benefits.
