Nneka Ogwumike’s WNBA-WNBPA negotiation update will encourage fans appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The clock is ticking for the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) as they continue to have a stalemate in their negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
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The initial deadline was on March 10. The date has passed, yet the WNBA and the WNBPA have still failed to find a deal. For what it is worth, it is a good sign that both camps are still willing to talk.
The executive committee of the WNBPA, headed by president Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm, continues to meet in person with league officials in New York.
After their latest sit-down, Ogwumike shared an encouraging update regarding the matter, as quoted by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
“I think what we’re feeling is movement,” said Ogwumike.
“We want to play. We’ve heard that from the other side as well. We need to see a more robust demonstration of that:”
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The WNBPA opted out of the previous CBA, which was supposed to be implemented until 2027, to demand a better deal, especially since the WNBA has enjoyed unprecedented popularity in recent years.
The WNBA, however, has been largely non-responsive to the players’ requests, including bigger salaries and revisions to the league’s revenue-sharing model, among others.
“Ogwumike added there have been seven proposals exchanged over the past two days, and the players are waiting for a response on an eighth,” added Philippou.
Ogwumike and other stars, including Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks, and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, have stated that they are willing to stand their ground and go on strike if the WNBA refuses to compromise.
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There has never been a lockout in the history of the WNBA.
Related: Watch Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese connect during Team USA-Senegal
Related: What Cathy Engelbert, WNBPA chief said about 12-hour WNBA CBA negotiating session at ‘deadline’
