Stars voice frustration over protracted CBA talks, demanding greater player input and transparency from union leadership.
Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart sent a three-page letter on Monday to WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson, stating that they have "serious concerns about how the PA is handling the current negotiations" for a new collective bargaining agreement. ESPN obtained the letter on Tuesday.
Plum, the union's first vice president, and Stewart, a vice president, wrote that they "do not feel like we have an adequate seat at the table in these negotiations" and asked for "a changed dynamic between our PA administrators and the players."
The union opted out of the previous CBA in October 2024. That was roughly 17 months ago. Despite that, Plum and Stewart wrote they had been "privy to details of these negotiations for less than two months, having first seen a proposal in January." They stated that they had "repeatedly" asked PA staff for information and never got it.
"Despite a year and a half of negotiations, we have not been meaningfully engaged," the letter read.
The two put together a list of what they had asked for and never received. It included a breakdown of WNBA expenses and revenue. A comparison of what a delayed or strike-shortened season would cost against what more negotiating might produce. How rookie salaries would be structured and how they scale. What the union gets from OneTeam Partners. And a straight answer on what the executive committee's roles and responsibilities actually are.
Plum and Stewart also described a troubling internal dynamic, writing that when they and other players have raised concerns about negotiations, they have been made to feel as though they are "acting against the interests of the PA," per ESPN. They added that many other players across the league share those frustrations but "feel afraid or unable to speak out."
That last one is worth noting. Plum and Stewart also described a troubling pattern inside the union. They are not asking for classified information. They are asking for things they should have had access to from the beginning.
The letter also took a position on the league's current proposal. Plum and Stewart called the revenue-sharing component a "significant win" and wrote that "a strike would be the worst thing for both sides" — which put them at odds with how the union has been framing things publicly.
Jackson shared the letter with the full executive committee on Tuesday, according to ESPN. Whether the other five members saw things the same way Plum and Stewart did was not clear. Some, per sources who spoke with ESPN, have no complaints about how negotiations have gone.
The letter landed less than a week before March 10, the date the league set last month for the WNBPA to have a term sheet done. Before any of that matters, the league still has a collegiate draft on April 13, an expansion draft, and free agency for more than 100 players to get through. The season is supposed to open on May 8.