There is increasing tension in the ongoing labor dispute between the WNBA and the players’ union, as the current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire next week with no new deal in sight.
The situation escalated quickly on Tuesday and Wednesday with both sides exchanging criticisms. The NBA commissioner, who has partial ownership of the women’s league, expressed confidence on Tuesday morning that a new agreement would be reached, promising significant salary increases for WNBA players. However, his choice of words when discussing whether WNBA players deserve a larger share of the league’s revenues provoked a strong reaction from the union.
During an interview on NBC’s Today show, Commissioner Adam Silver stated, “Yes. I mean, I think ‘share’ isn’t the right way to look at it because there’s so much more revenue in the NBA. I think you should look at absolute numbers in terms of what they’re making, and they are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining, and they deserve it.”
Exchanging Criticisms
Despite the positive tone, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) responded critically on Wednesday, accusing the league and teams of attempting to control labor costs through an artificial salary structure that does not reflect the players’ contributions to the business.
In a statement, the union’s executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said, “You know it’s bad when the best they say they can do is more of the same: a fixed salary system and a separate revenue sharing plan that only includes a piece of the pie, and pays [the league] back first.”
With the tensions seemingly at an all-time high between the league and players, CBC Sports explains what’s going in the WNBA.
In response, the WNBA emphasized that it proposed an uncapped revenue sharing model directly linked to the league’s performance.
The league stated, “The comprehensive proposals we have made to the players include a revenue sharing component that would result in the players’ compensation increasing as league revenue increases â without any cap on the upside. It is frustrating and counterproductive for the union to be making misrepresentations about our proposals while also accusing the league of engaging in delay.”
The Toronto Tempo are set to make their debut in the league in the upcoming 2026 season.