\u201cI think we\u2019ll learn a lot from this meeting,\u201d Plum said. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to put it on the meeting, but this is a meeting that I think everyone understands what\u2019s at stake. The league has their timelines; we as players understand what\u2019s at stake. I always come into anything that I do with a great attitude, and I\u2019m gonna see the best in this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plum, WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike<\/a>, WNBPA vice presidents Napheesa Collier<\/a> and Breanna Stewart<\/a> will be in attendance, multiple sources familiar with the situation confirmed to The IX Sports. The players are hopeful that owners will join the meeting, as it is a critical moment for in-person talks for both parties, and make some headway with the ongoing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations.\u00a0Sources familiar with the league-union interactions in recent weeks differ on whether or not a face-to-face meeting was rejected by the union.<\/p>\n New York Liberty<\/a> guard Natasha Cloud<\/a> spoke about the upcoming meeting and future of the league and said, \u201cWe\u2019re not worried. All the power is in our hands. We have had a moment like this where there\u2019s been so much momentum, where there\u2019s been so much investment and demand for our sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n She continued: \u201cI\u2019m upset, frustrated, and in a lot of ways disgusted with the W and how they\u2019re handling this and their lack of value and lack of worth for us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This meeting comes after the parties had not agreed to a new CBA and entered a \u201cstatus quo\u201d period<\/a> on Jan. 9. Under this time, the working conditions outlined in the current CBA remain the same and allow both the WNBA and WNBPA to continue their negotiations. However, the WNBA players are prepared to strike if an agreement is unable to be met, as they voted to authorize the WNBPA executive committee to call a strike<\/a> when they deemed necessary on Dec. 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n If they do end up going on strike, Los Angeles Sparks<\/a> center Azura Stevens<\/a> says the players are prepared for what\u2019s to come. But she believes there needs to be a little leeway on both sides to come to a resolution. \u201cThere has to be a little give or take. I\u2019m not just saying it\u2019s the league, but even for us players, we have to come to some middle ground,\u201d she told reporters. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s why we\u2019re at a standstill right now, because both sides are unwilling to do that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For young Washington Mystics<\/a> guard Sug Sutton<\/a>, there\u2019s a level of concern for what\u2019s to come. \u201cThere\u2019s a level of concern and unknown, and I don\u2019t like to be in that position,\u201d she told reporters. But she\u2019s taking the anxiety of it all day by day, as it can be mentally taxing. \u201cBeing in Unrivaled has helped with that mental part with the W and everything that is going on. So I\u2019m really thankful to have this opportunity with Unrivaled and to play in this league.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Plum told reporters that she is not entering the meeting with any expectations. She hopes that talking face-to-face and gauging body language will give them all the opportunity to make progress in many of the topics discussed in the new CBA, as well as what type of system the league will operate on going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n