The WNBA Players Association executive director told CNBC she remains “frustrated” by the lack of progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement as the league’s new deadline to reach a deal approaches.
“We’re a little frustrated with where are are right now, but we are holding to our principles,” Terri Jackson, executive director of the WNBPA, told CNBC Sport in an interview. “We’re staying open to the fact that these negotiations will continue because they must. We will be at the table for as long as they take, and we’re hopeful that there’s enough folks on the team side of things that will start to push these things along.”
Jackson told CNBC Sport she continues to negotiate with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, her counterparty in the talks, on a new labor deal for the league. The CBA, or labor contract, between the WNBA and its players expired on Oct. 31, but the deadline to strike a new agreement was extended to Jan. 9 when the sides failed to reach a deal.
WNBA players are looking for significant pay increases to get a bigger cut of the league’s revenue growth. The WNBA signed a new media rights deal last year that amounted to a sixfold increase in revenue. The league and its players have been actively negotiating for months over issues related to salaries, benefits, working conditions and revenue sharing.
