The WNBPA announced Thursday that its members have voted overwhelmingly to authorize calling a strike "when necessary" during the ongoing negotiations between the players association and the WNBA on a new collective bargaining agreement.
"The players have spoken," the WNBPA said in a statement. "Through a decisive vote with historic participation, our membership has authorized the WNBPA's Executive Committee to call a strike when necessary. The players' decision is an unavoidable response to the state of negotiations with the WNBA and its teams.
"Time and again, the players' thoughtful and reasonable approach has been met by the WNBA and its teams with a resistance to change and a recommitment to the draconian provisions that have unfairly restricted players for nearly three decades. The players' vote is neither a call for an immediate strike nor an intention to pursue one. Rather, it is an emphatic affirmation of the players' confidence in their leadership and their unwavering solidarity against ongoing efforts to divide, conquer, and undervalue them.
"Let it be known. The players remain united, resolute, and prepared to fight for their value and their future."
A strike would mark the first labor stoppage of any kind in WNBA history. The league and its players are still ahead of the schedule compared with completing past CBA negotiations, including one in 2003 that wasn't resolved until April, shortly before a deadline set by the WNBA to avoid canceling that season's scheduled play.
Despite the WNBPA agreeing to extend the CBA from its original Oct. 31 deadline, first through Nov. 30 and more recently through Jan. 9, the two sides have remained far apart in negotiations, and the tone struck by players indicates their unhappiness with the process.
During last week's USA Basketball camp, Los Angeles Sparks All-Star Kelsey Plum -- who also serves as first vice president of the WNBPA -- called talks "a little bit disheartening, just the frustration in the negotiation and how far away we are."
According to the WNBPA's news release, 93% of eligible players participated in the vote and 98% of that group voted in favor of authorizing a strike. The extensions to the CBA have included a provision giving either side the ability to terminate them with 48 hours' notice, at which point the WNBPA could initiate a strike or the league could lock out the players.
