NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA’s latest proposal to the players’ union, presented Friday, included slight increases in its revenue-sharing offer and concessions on housing, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press Saturday because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.
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The main sticking point remains revenue sharing. The union president, Nneka Ogwumike told the AP Friday — before the league’s proposal was submitted to the union — that the two sides were not in agreement on this topic in their efforts to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
“We need to get to a percentage that makes sense for us. It really fits the value that players are looking for and are looking for,” she said.
The players want about 30% of gross revenue – money generated before expenses – for the first year in their latest proposal sent in December.
As part of the league’s new proposal, they slightly increased their revenue sharing offer, which would give players more than 70% of net revenue. This would be their share of the profits after expenses are paid. These expenses would include facility upgrades, charter flights, five-star hotels, medical services, security and arenas.
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The 2026 salary cap in Friday’s offer would be $5.65 million in the first year, a slight increase from the previous proposal.
The people said the league offered players a change of housing. Teams have paid for their accommodation since the start of the league. Now, players receiving the minimum salary offered by the league as well as rookies in their first season will receive one-bedroom apartments paid for by the team. This would last for the first three years of the new ABC. After that, players would have to pay for their accommodation.
Players traded during the season would also have their housing taken care of. The two developmental players teams would add this year would get studios.
All other players would pay for their own accommodation.
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“Housing is a really, really important issue. It’s about safety, it’s about efficiency — being able to get from the house to the practice facility to the arena,” Ogwumike said. “Being able to know where all the players are. That’s something that’s always been offered. To be honest, I think that’s probably the biggest advantage we’ve had as professional athletes.”
Ogwumike said the union has proposed ways to have the cost of housing paid for by players’ share of income.
The league’s proposal also called for meeting specific standards on practice facilities.
The new proposal came days after a dispute between the two parties. three hour meeting Monday at the NBA offices. Many of the changes to the new offering are a direct result of discussions at the meeting.
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The union had been waiting for more than six weeks for a response from the league to its latest proposal.
According to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP last month, the league didn’t think this proposal was much different from the one the union sent earlier because the revenue sharing numbers hadn’t changed much and didn’t warrant a new response. The person spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
If a new collective bargaining agreement is not reached soon, it could delay the start of the 2026 season. This has already delayed the expansion draft for Toronto and Portland.
The last collective agreement was announced in mid-January 2020, a month after it was agreed. It could easily take two months from the time a new collective bargaining agreement is reached to the start of free agency, which was supposed to start last month. With a massive pay raise expected in the new CBA, 80% of the league’s players are free agents this offseason, making it the largest player movement opportunity in WNBA history.
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A delay would harm both parties. The season is supposed to start May 8 and every missed match would result in lost revenue, as would sponsorships, TV money and fan support.
Players voted to grant union leaders the right to strike in December. Ogwumike said that despite this, a strike was not imminent, although the union posted a video on social media about the 1964 NBA All-Star Game strike. The NBA All-Star Game will be held next weekend in Los Angeles.
“Having the strike on the table is something that we are very conscious of, but there are so many other conversations that need to be had,” Ogwumike said. “You know, we’re not just going to say, ‘Hey, today’s the big day (we’ll strike).’ You know, I think that’s what we’re demonstrating right now is negotiating in good faith.”
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