To avoid a lockout, the VNBA offers itself a delay in negotiations

This October 31st, the collective bargaining agreement in force in the VNBA expires, and in order to avoid a lockout, the players’ union and the Major Women’s League had to find an agreement before this date.

Faced with negotiations that do not go forwardThe WNBA decided to grant itself an additional 30-day period so that the debates could continue, as reported by ESPN.

If a deal isn’t reached by the end of November, the WNBA would then be plunged into a complete lockout that could delay the start of the 2026 season. This is an important season for the league as it prepares to welcome two new teams, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire. Without a collective bargaining agreement, it is impossible to organize the Expansion Draft, which should allow these two teams to form their lineup.

Last Tuesday, the players association’s legal counsel, Erin D. Drake, warned that no deal would be reached before October 31.

“We’ve been working very hard to be able to say we’ve reached an agreement by Friday. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case. It takes two to tango and, to be honest, it’s hard to find the same rhythm and sense of urgency from the League.”

It’s not the first time

However, the VNBA recalled, through one of its spokespersons, that its priority was to find a new agreement as soon as possible.

“Throughout this process, we have indicated that our top priority is finding a new collective bargaining agreement that would allow the players to have a significant increase in wages and benefits, as they request, while guaranteeing the long-term development of the League and its teams. We ask the players’ union to spend less time spreading false information and more time engaging constructively with us.

Kathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, remains optimistic and reminds that this is not the first time that negotiations have been extended as part of the discussions around the new CBA. Ahead of the current collective bargaining agreement, which takes effect in 2020, the players’ union and the league extended talks by 60 days before finally reaching an agreement by January 2020.

If the WNBA claims it tried everything to find a new collective bargaining agreement before the first deadline on Oct. 31, the players’ union disagrees. “The league has let time slip by obscuring the reality and using a system that deliberately undervalues ​​its players. The fact that the league now wants to label part of its proposal as ‘unrestricted’ is exactly why its leadership, transparency and accountability are being called into question right now.”