Last Monday, members of the WNBPA executive committee left the much-anticipated in-person collective bargaining agreement (CBA) meeting the WNBA dismayed that the league had not come prepared with a new proposal, as the league had yet to respond to a proposal submitted by the union over a month prior.<\/p>\n
As WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said afterwards<\/a>, \u201cThey volunteered that they did not have a proposal prepared at the top of the meeting. That kind of set the tone for the conversation because we were hoping to hear otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n On Friday, the WNBA finally shared a new proposal with the WNBPA, and while providing the players with a few concessions, the league again resisted relenting on the primary point of contention between the two sides: revenue sharing.<\/p>\n According to Front Office Sports\u2019 Annie Costabile<\/a>, \u201c[T]he league is still proposing the same revenue sharing system,\u201d making only \u201cmarginal changes to its proposed revenue sharing percentage.\u201d<\/p>\n Costabile clarified that, \u201cThe WNBA\u2019s proposed revenue share percentage still does not meet or exceed 15 percent of total league revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n On Friday, before public knowledge of the league\u2019s latest proposal, Ogwumike spoke with the Associated Press\u2019 Doug Feinberg<\/a>, emphasizing that \u201conce revenue sharing is solved, the rest hopefully will fall into place quickly.\u201d Ogwumike asserted<\/a>, \u201cWe made the point that once we nail this, we can get everything else done.\u201d<\/p>\n Well, based on the league\u2019s latest proposal, the issue of revenue sharing has yet to be nailed, remaining an elusive target for the two sides.<\/p>\n The WNBA\u2019s proposal did include concessions around housing policy, an issue stressed by players at last Monday\u2019s meeting. As first reported by ESPN\u2019s Alexa Philippou<\/a>, \u201cAs part of the housing concessions, players on their applicable minimum salary and those with zero years of service would be provided a one-bedroom apartment for the first three years of the new deal.\u201d<\/p>\n The league also agreed to add two developmental player roster spots, something first proposed by the union. As explained by Costabile at FOS<\/a>:<\/p>\n These players will only be eligible to play a certain number of games and will receive a check for each game they play in addition to a stipend. They will also have access to certain benefits like housing and medical. The WNBA is proposing studio apartments for these players.<\/p>\n So while the league is not offering a housing stipend for any player making more than the minimum salary, minimum and developmental players would have housing support.<\/p>\n The league also moved toward the players on other issues, including retirement benefits, facility standards and staffing requirements. As Costabile noted<\/a>, these concessions follow the league \u201cagreeing to a pregnant player trade consent clause, the elimination of marijauna testing and increased performance bonuses.\u201d<\/p>\n