WNBA and WNBPA extend labor agreement deadline to January 15

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: Forward Nneka Ogwumike #30 of the Los Angeles Sparks moves the ball defended by guard Layshia Clarendon #23 of the Connecticut Sun at Staples Center on May 31, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: Forward Nneka Ogwumike #30 of the Los Angeles Sparks moves the ball defended by guard Layshia Clarendon #23 of the Connecticut Sun at Staples Center on May 31, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

With a December 31 deadline looming, the WNBA and players union have extended their current CBA into January as they make “substantial progress” towards a new deal.

The Women’s National Basketball Association and the Player’s Association announced today that they extended the current collective bargaining agreement due to expire at the end of the year until January 15, 2020. In a joint statement, the WNBA and WNBPA said that they were  “making substantial progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement” and that they expected the terms of the new CBA to be finalized soon.

The current CBA was set to expire on October 31, 2019 after the WNBPA opted out of extending the agreement. A few days before the agreement was set to expire, both sides announced that  they would be extending the agreement for 60 days, with a new deadline of December 31, 2019.

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Both sides have been fairly quiet on the terms of the new agreement, but today’s press release stated that “free agency contract signings will begin on time on February 1, 2020,” leading one to believe that league and the players are in the stage of fine tuning agreement, with the major issues to both sides having been likely already decided.

Among the major issues, a higher revenue share, better travel conditions, and overall higher pay for players standout the most. With so many players in the WNBA having to play overseas to make a living, a meaningful base salary increase is believed to be the No. 1 issues, based on comments made by players and the player’s union.

It would be a major surprise if the current CBA were to be extended any further.

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