WNBA Players Opt Out of Collective Bargaining Agreement

In what the Women’s National Basketball Players Association president calls a “defining moment,” the association that represents all WNBA players announced on Oct. 21, 2024 that it has chosen to opt out of its current collective bargaining agreement.

With counsel from a five-person advisory committee, including Willig, Williams & Davidson managing partner Deborah R. Willig, the association will seek an agreement that offers better working conditions and the players’ rightful share of the business they have built.

“This is a defining moment not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said in announcing the decision. “The world has evolved since 2020, and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind. This is a new era, and we are ready to lead transformational change – change that goes beyond women’s sports and sets a precedent for something greater.

“Opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks—it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come,” Ogwumike continued. “We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we’re demanding it, because we’ve earned it.”

WNBA players have brought unprecedented popularity to the league, with record attendance and viewership and a new media rights deal worth $200 million a year. However, players’ salaries and benefits lag behind and do not align with the WNBA’s recent success.

The committee advising the players association includes Willig, who has extensive experience negotiating on behalf of other players’ unions; Nobel Prize-winning economist Claudia Goldin, renowned for her pioneering research on women in the labor market; auditor and former FBI agent W. Charles Bennett; sports and media rights expert Tag Garson; and New York University sports business professor David Cooper.

Negotiation priorities include:

– an equity-based economic model that grows with the league’s business success,

– clear distinctions between salary and bonuses, with wages that properly reflect the players’ value,

– minimum standards that are consistent with other professional sports leagues, such as safe environments and travel accommodations,

– pregnancy and family planning support for all players,

– retirement benefits that ensure players’ financial security.

The players have pledged to negotiate for as long as it takes to develop a business model that reflects their true value.

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