WNBA star and vice president of the league’s players’ union, Breanna Stewart, said the two sides will not reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement before the deadline at midnight on Friday.
“We’re not going to get a deal done by tomorrow, I can assure you of that,” the New York Liberty player told the media after a practice in Miami, although she said they will continue to negotiate “in good faith.”
The collective bargaining agreement was due to expire on October 31, but it was agreed to extend it until Friday. If a new agreement is not reached, negotiations will continue, but the players could go on strike or the league could implement a lockout in the event of disagreements.
Neither party has yet communicated its intention to reach these extreme scenarios, although the players’ union authorised last December to go on strike if necessary.
To prepare for this possible shutdown, the union has created training centers for league players in the United States and Spain, according to sources cited by Sports Business Journal.
The players want a system similar to the NBA, where salaries and the salary cap are tied directly to the league’s total revenue.
The union has proposed a system in which players receive around 30% of gross revenue, while the league proposed 15% net, according to ESPN.
In addition, the employers have offered a maximum salary of one million dollars, raising the average to half a million, but the players consider this insufficient. The maximum salary in the last agreement was almost $250,000.
The players are also asking for the salary cap for teams to be raised to $5 million, compared to the $1.5 million reflected in the previous agreement.
Other demands include improved training facilities, guaranteed charter flights for all matches, greater social benefits and a requirement for teams to have 12 players on the roster at all times.
The WNBA, which will celebrate its 30th season next year, has never experienced a lockout, unlike the NBA, which last experienced one in 2011.
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