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| Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2002 8:18 am Post subject: WNBA, Union Discuss New Labor Agreement for Women's League |
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WNBA, Union Discuss New Labor Agreement for Women's League
By Scott Soshnick
New York, Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Representatives of the Women's National Basketball Association and its players' union met in an attempt to prevent a work stoppage before next season.
It was the first session aimed at reaching a labor contract since the previous four-year collective bargaining agreement expired Sept. 15. No proposals were exchanged, said Dan Wasserman, a spokesman for the Women's National Basketball Players Association.
Among the participants in the two-hour meeting in New York were WNBA President Val Ackerman and NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik. Several team representatives also took part, including Washington Mystics President Susan O'Malley and Steve Mills, president of sports team operations for Madison Square Garden, which runs the New York Liberty.
WNBPA Director of Operations Pam Wheeler was joined by union President Sonja Henning and Tina Thompson of the Houston Comets, as well as Indiana's Coquese Washington and other union representatives.
WNBA spokeswoman Traci Cook said there was a meeting, but declined further comment. Wheeler didn't immediately return a message left at her office seeking comment.
The players have said they want more money and more control over their marketing rights. Player salaries make up less than 15 percent of the league's revenue, compared with more than 55 percent in the NBA, Wheeler said.
While the league says the average salary is about $60,000, the union contends it's closer to $40,000, excluding benefits. The rookie minimum is $30,000 and the veteran minimum is $40,000.
The union prefers a merit-based system that would give top players the right to earn more money.
The WNBA season runs from May through August. Most WNBA players join teams outside the U.S. during the offseason to make more money.
The 16-team WNBA has television agreements with Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN and ABC, and the Oxygen Network. Unlike the NBA, which receives $4.6 billion for its broadcast rights, the WNBA isn't paid. The league shares costs and revenue with the networks. |
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