July 22, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Storm guard Lexi Brown (8) dribbles the ball against the Dallas Wings at Climate Pledge Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Image The approach to a potential strike has become a point of contention among WNBA union members in sometimes “tough” meetings where the status of labor negotiations is discussed, Front Office Sports reported.
At a virtual meeting held by the WNBPA on Tuesday, some players reportedly changed their minds from a mid-December meeting where the possibility of a strike was approved in a near-unanimous vote.
But at Tuesday’s meeting, more than half of the player leadership committed to a potential stoppage of play and authorized the union’s seven-player executive committee to call a strike whenever it feels necessary.
“Last night’s conversation was lively, passionate and at times difficult,” wrote WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson in a letter to union members following the meeting, according to Front Office Sports. Jackson also added, “Honest debate is not divisive. “It’s an engagement.”
The players were told by the league at a meeting Monday night that a new CBA must be reached by March 10 for the season to proceed without interruption.
The most recent negotiating move was a counteroffer sent by the federation on February 20, about six weeks after the union sent its proposal in late December. The only significant change in the league’s latest proposal would have put team housing, which the league has provided for all players since 1999, back on the table only in 2026.
The league’s latest counterproposal made no movement on revenue sharing or a $5.65 million salary cap per team.
Jackson’s letter reportedly states that a survey will be sent to players to gather feedback on the league’s latest proposal and that the CBA will not be finalized without agreement from a majority of players.
“Everyone has different experiences in the league and in life,” veteran guard Lexi Brown told Front Office Sports. “So I didn’t expect all of us to be in these meetings every week, just kumbaya and everyone agreeing on everything. That’s not reality.”
–Field level media
