Ogwumike said while salaries and travel conditions are big issues, they are not main concerns of the unionMARC BRYAN-BROWN
Connecticut Sun F and WNBPA VP Chiney Ogwumike said the league's players "have an opportunity coming up” to try and improve their standing as it pertains to the current CBA. Ogwumike, appearing at the '18 SBJ Game Changers conference said union members have a “decision to make whether to stay the course with our current CBA or do we decide to opt out.” The current CBA is set to expire in ’21, but includes an opt-out for the WNBPA after the ’19 season. While Ogwumike mentioned player salaries and travel conditions are hot button issues, she said those are not the main things the union is concerned about. Ogwumike: “Value, equity and fairness are the ways we are approaching this decision. … All we care about are the real things that we know we deserve right now.” WNBPA Exec Dir Terri Jackson agreed with those sentiments, adding, "The time is now to have the hard conversation with the league.” Jackson: “We’re coming prepared to do business and all these conversations we’re going to have. The hard conversations, the creative conversations, the productive conversations. We’re going to come prepared to do war if necessary.” Ogwumike and her twin sister, Nneka, who serves as WNBA President, also spoke to the Boston Globe about the fight for increased wages as part of a conversation about top issues facing women's sports.
