NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA’s newest proposal to the players’ union that was delivered Friday made small increases to 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 on Saturday because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.
The major sticking point continues to be revenue sharing. Union president Nneka Ogwumike told the AP on Friday — before the league’s proposal was submitted to the union — that the two sides weren’t close on that topic in their effort to strike a new collective bargaining agreement.
“We need to get to a percentage that makes sense for us. That really does take on the value that the players are looking for and the players are seeking,” she said.
The players want around 30% of the gross revenue — money generated before expenses — for the first year in their last proposal sent in December.
Under the league’s new proposal, they slightly increased their revenue sharing offer which would give players over 70% of net revenue. That would be their take of the profits after expenses are paid. Those expenses would include upgraded facilities, charter flights, five-star hotels, medical services, security and arenas.
The salary cap for 2026 in Friday’s offer would be $5.65 million the first year — up slightly from the previous proposal.
The people said the league offered players a change in housing. Teams have paid for housing since the league first started. Now, players receiving the league’s proposed minimum salary as well as rookies in their first season will receive one-bedroom apartments paid for by the team. That would last for the first three years of the new CBA. After that players would have to pay for their housing.
Players who were traded during the season would have their housing taken care of as well. The two developmental players who teams would add this year would get studio apartments.
All other players would pay for their own housing.
“Housing is a really, really big one. It’s a matter of safety, efficiency — being able to get to get from home to the practice facility to the arena,” Ogwumike said. “Being able to know where all the players are. It’s something that has always been provided. To be honest, I think that it’s probably the largest benefit that we’ve had as professional athletes.”
Ogwumike said that the union has offered ways to have the cost of the housing paid for by the players share of revenue.
The league’s proposal also offered meeting specific standards on practice facilities.
The new proposal came a few days after the two sides had a three-hour meeting Monday at the NBA offices. Many of the changes in the new offer came directly from discussions at the meeting.
The union had been waiting for more than six weeks from a response from the league to its last proposal.
According to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP last month, the league previously didn’t feel that proposal was much different than an earlier one the union had sent as the revenue sharing numbers hadn’t changed much at all and didn’t warrant a new response. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
If a new CBA isn’t agreed upon soon, it could delay the start of the 2026 season. It’s already delayed the expansion draft for Toronto and Portland.
The last CBA was announced in the middle of January 2020, a month after it had been agreed to. It could easily take two months from when a new CBA is reached to get to the start of free agency, which was supposed to begin last month. With a massive salary raise expected in a new CBA, 80% of players in the league are free agents this offseason, which makes this the biggest opportunity for player movement in the history of the WNBA.
A delay would hurt both sides. The season is supposed to start May 8 and every game that is missed, revenue would be lost, as would be sponsorships, television money and fan support.
Players voted to give union leadership the right to strike in December. Ogwumike said despite that, a strike is not imminent, although the union did post on social media a video about the 1964 NBA All-Star Game strike. The NBA All-Star Game is next weekend in Los Angeles.
“Having the strike on the table is something that we’re very much aware of, but there’s so many more conversations that have to happen,” Ogwumike said. “You know, we’re not just going to say, `Hey, today’s the day (we’ll strike).′ You know, I think that’s what what we’re demonstrating right now is negotiating in good faith.”
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