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The ongoing CBA negotiations between the WNBA and the players via the union seemingly reached a boiling point this week when it was revealed that Breanna Stewart and Kelsey Plum had penned a letter expressing their frustrations with the WNBPA amid the continuing dialogue.
The gist of the letter hinted at a potential split between the players and the union’s executive committee, of which Stewart and Plum are both a part of, when it comes to whether or not to accept the current CBA proposal from the WNBA.
On Wednesday morning, the players themselves seemingly left no doubt that they are all in complete lock-step with each other after releasing a letter that was signed by the WNBPA executive committee, including Plum and Stewart. The letter affirmed the players’ current feeling that the league’s most recent proposal is not acceptable to them.
“Our union’s nearly unanimous vote in December to authorize us to call a strike, if and when necessary, was not taken lightly. It was made with complete faith and trust in ourselves and our negotiating committee, led by Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson and President Nneka Ogwumike, to represent all players as we work to build a W that truly puts players first,” the letter said. “That decision, and the results of our recent player survey, reaffirm that the current league proposal is not worth taking.”
In addition to Plum and Stewart, the letter was also signed by Ogwumike, Elizabeth Williams, Brianna Turner, Alysha Clark and Napheesa Collier, all of whom make up the WNBPA executive committee.
Amid the continuing dialogue, the WNBA recently gave the players a March 10 deadline for the framework of a new CBA to be in place before 2026 season dates would start to be impacted. The league has set tip-off for the upcoming season at May 8.
But even before that, the league would still need to conduct two expansion drafts for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo who are set to begin play, a free agency period and the usual WNBA Draft which is currently set for April 13.
