Terry Jackson, executive director of the Women's National Basketball Players Association, said Thursday that the union had pledged to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement “as long as it takes” and did not rule out a potential job suspension.
“For women's sports, especially women's basketball, especially for us, there's no better moment than it is,” Jackson said. “So, are we holding on to all levels? Absolutely.”
Jackson spoke with reporters, including the Post, about 15 minutes after being featured on a panel on sports motherhood at the ESPNW Summit. The current CBA will expire at the end of the 2025 season.
Players sitting at the table for increased player pay, implementation of softened pay caps, expanded rosters, better access to family planning services, and media rights negotiations are part of the hot button issues at the forefront of negotiations.
The WNBPA had submitted multiple proposals to the league as of Thursday, Jackson said. The goal is to make “great progress” in throttling new WNBA All-Star contracts scheduled for July 18-19, and to finalise the deal by the end of this season before the current deal expires.
“We were active in terms of our discussion, our suggestions – multiple – and meeting schedule,” Jackson said. “It's a group project. We've been in that role and we hope that the league has the opportunity to actually introduce such kind of milestones.
CBA negotiations will continue to be a major storyline for upcoming WNBA seasons. This will open on May 17th. Stopping work is not out of the question if the transaction is not reachable.
The WNBA did not immediately return a request to post a comment.
WNBA players opted out of the current CBA last October, giving the league and WNBPA more than a year to have new deals.
The current CBA, agreed in 2020, was praised as historic. We've significantly increased players' salaries and improved other profits. However, the new contract is expected to stage previous deals in many ways.
Jackson said WNBPA also hopes to restructure its current hard salary cap.
“There may be one exception, but that's not enough,” Jackson said.
WNBA players benefits include family planning services that provide wages and other resources to veterans who provide services for at least eight years. Jackson said he hopes that player unions will make such benefits more accessible.
Jackson also said it is important that chartered flights be codified.
“It's true that we can't come far from last season, and this season we're starting to retreat what we don't have access,” Jackson said. “I don't think anyone on the league or the team wants that.”
For example, under the current CBA, if a player becomes pregnant while on a contract, they will be paid full salary during maternity leave. However, her salary counts against the team's salary cap in her absence, complicating the issue.
“There are soft exceptions to what we have, just like players do to get the advantage and benefit,” Jackson said. “We negotiated something that made sense. [in 2020] And we thought it was great, but when we saw them being implemented and they were unfolding, we noticed that there were some gives on each side of the table there… there was some cleanup there. It's not that soft, but certainly it has to be soft. ”
Jackson said there is “probably more” between owners and players than in 2020.
Still, Jackson believes the players are strong enough in this round of conversation.
Unlivaled's success combined with the 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery (including former Notre Dame star Olivia Miles and LSU forward Flau'jae Johnson) will stay in college for another season, and is in good spirits for Player Union.
“There are a lot of players who are attracting my attention. I think they've got the attention of the league and team. I stayed in college in my fifth year in 5th and not coming here, so I didn't get the chance to participate in the WNBA draft,” Jackson said. “That means the pipeline is even so powerful, so it strengthens the union side and the player side of things.”
