The WNBA has “offered players a 30-day extension to continue negotiations” for a new CBA, according to sources cited by ESPN.com. An extension before the current CBA expires Friday “would allow both sides more time to work toward a new deal,” though “even if one is not implemented, both parties could continue to negotiate in good faith.” Both sides agreed to a 60-day extension during the last round of CBA negotiations in 2019 before the new deal was signed in January 2020. If an extension is not reached, it “could open the door for a potential work stoppage, either a strike initiated by the players or a lockout initiated by the owners.” A source said the players might be willing to consider an extension “under the right circumstances” but they feel “those circumstances do not yet exist” (ESPN.com, 10/28). The AP cited sources as saying the sides “have had meetings over the past few weeks, including once in New York earlier this month.” 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” (AP, 10/28).
It is “believed that if the league shows it is willing to bend on what the union perceives as a ‘fixed’ salary structure or perhaps acquiesce even the tiniest bit on revenue share issues,” an extension “would probably be agreeable to the union.” Sources noted “if not, the likelihood of a lockout or strike increases in a prohibitive way” (Tom Friend, SBJ).
