NEW YORK \u2013 Leaders of the WNBA players’ union had a meeting with players Tuesday night and will send out a survey to their members to get feedback on the league’s latest contract proposal, a person familiar with the negotiations said.<\/p>\n
The league and the players have been unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement<\/a> since the union opted out of the previous deal, which expired last year. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday night because details of the meeting had not been released to the public.<\/p>\n The last time the union sent out a survey to the players, in December, it was seeking a vote to authorize the seven-player executive committee to call a strike if needed<\/a>, according to the person.<\/p>\n In a letter to union executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson that was obtained by the AP, 10 prominent WNBA player agents offered to help the union with the survey and asked for \u201ctransparency and coordinated communication rather than individual conversations. At this stage of negotiations, with time being of the essence, alignment and shared information will best serve the players and the Union.\u201d<\/p>\n Front Office Sports was the first to report about Tuesday’s players meeting. <\/p>\n The WNBA<\/a> told the union Monday during a virtual negotiating session that it needs to get a deal in place by March 10 to start the season on time, another person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press. That person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.<\/p>\n