Star players question union leadership's tactics as CBA talks intensify. A crucial all-player call reveals deep divisions on the path forward.
The WNBPA's executive committee issued a joint statement on Wednesday, saying the union is united and that the league's latest proposal is not worth taking, citing a player survey released the same day.
The statement, signed by the entire executive committee, came two days after two of its members — first vice president Kelsey Plum and vice president Breanna Stewart — sent a three-page letter to WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson, raising concerns about the lack of player involvement in negotiations, a letter obtained by ESPN.
"In every CBA negotiation, the goal of the league and teams is to divide the players," the executive committee's statement read. "These negotiations are no different. We remain united and focused on delivering a transformational CBA for all members of this Union, and are committed to negotiating for as long as it takes."
The union also announced on social media the results of a player survey asking whether players would "accept the league's proposal of '50% of net revenue,' which is less than 15% of gross revenue in an eight-year deal or ask the union to keep negotiating." The union's Instagram post said 84% of respondents said they "would not accept 15% and want the union to keep negotiating," though it was unclear how many players participated.
WNBPA vice president Alysha Clark addressed the survey results on ESPN's "NBA Today."
"I think it just continues to illustrate what the majority feels," Clark said. "We're at a place where we feel like the proposals the league has sent haven't been good ones. And we want to continue to fight for what we know we deserve. We hope that at some point the league decides to have that same sentiment towards us as well through the proposals that they send."
Clark also reaffirmed that a work stoppage remains on the table.
"As a union, we're going to use every tool that we have in our pocket to be able to fight and get what we know we deserve," Clark said. "So it's very much still on the table, and that is something that I think is clear as we continue to have these conversations with our union and the players in the league."
The executive committee's statement also referenced the player vote in December, which authorized the committee to call a strike "when necessary," and said the decision was "made with complete faith and trust in ourselves and our negotiating committee, led by Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson and President Nneka Ogwumike." The statement added: "Nothing has changed."
The unified front comes despite the letter from Plum and Stewart, in which the two wrote that they "need to start being pragmatic" and advocated beginning negotiations based on the league's revenue-sharing proposals.
Both had also said publicly on Monday, before the Unrivaled semifinals, that they believe the current offer reflects a "significant win" and that "a strike would be the worst thing for both sides." It remained unclear whether the other executive committee members were informed before the letter was sent.
Not all players have shared the frustrations outlined in that letter. Lexie Brown, one of only two veteran players currently under contract in the entire league, wrote on Threads on Wednesday that "we (the players who decide to get on the calls) speak to the PA and are updated often" and that she is "extremely well informed and prepared for any situation that comes from these negotiations."
The union held a call with players Tuesday evening to address the Plum-Stewart letter and survey results, sources told ESPN.
Wednesday's statement arrives less than a week before the March 10 deadline the WNBA set last month for the two sides to complete a term sheet for a new CBA.
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.