Democratic Women’s Caucus Demands WNBA Bargain in Good Faith with Players Union; Demands Fair Pay for Women
WASHINGTON, DC – Tuesday, September 9, 85 Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) and House Democratic Caucus, led by DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), DWC Equality Caucus Liaison Julie Johnson (TX-32), DWC Member Lori Trahan (MA-03), DWC Member Angie Craig (MN-02), and Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-04), sent a letter to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) urging the league to bargain in good faith with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA). The Members are calling on the WNBA and WNBPA to reach a fair collective bargaining agreement (CBA) before the October 31 deadline and to give players’ requests full and fair consideration.
In the letter, Members of the DWC and the House Democratic Caucus raised concerns that negotiations have stalled and the needs of players are not being fully addressed—particularly when it comes to fair compensation and revenue sharing.
“WNBA players receive no shared revenue under the current CBA including from TV deals, tickets, sponsorships, and merchandise sales. This is drastic in comparison with other major professional sports leagues: National Basketball Association players receive 49 to 51%, National Football League players receive at least 48.8%, and National Hockey League players receive 50% of their respective shared revenues,” the Members explained in the letter.
With the WNBA experiencing record growth and revenue, the lawmakers underscored that failing to ensure fair player compensation not only widens the economic gap between franchises and players but also devalues women athletes.
“As leaders and advocates for women’s sports and women workers, we also must acknowledge the historic nature of these negotiations. Women are under constant attack right now. The gender wage gap widened for the first time in 20 years. Women are leaving the workforce rapidly. This new CBA deal is an opportunity to set the record straight that women are valuable workers who deserve to be paid accordingly and treated fairly,” the Members concluded.
To learn more about the letter join this afternoon’s press call. On the call, DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), DWC Equality Caucus Liaison Julie Johnson (TX-32), and DWC Member Angie Craig (MN-02), alongside Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-04) will host WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson, WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike, and President of the AFL-CIO Liz Shuler.
WHAT: Press Call to Urge WNBA to Bargain in Good Faith with Players Union
WHO: DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03)
DWC Equality Caucus Liaison Julie Johnson (TX-32)
DWC Member Angie Craig (MN-02)
Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-04)
Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO
Terri Carmichael Jackson , WNBPA Executive Director
Nneka Ogwumike, WNBPA President
WHEN: Today, Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 5:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm PT
WHERE: Zoom. Please register in advance by reaching out to Lizzie.
Questions? Reach out to lizzie.johnson@mail.house.gov or (202)-590 6073.
You can read the full letter from Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and House Democratic Caucus here.
In addition to letter leads Teresa Leger Fernandez, Julie Johnson, Lori Trahan, Angie Craig, and Greg Stanton, the letter was signed by Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Julia Brownley, Shontel Brown, Nikki Budzinski, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Troy Carter, Judy Chu, Gilbert Cisneros, Yvette Clarke, Katherine Clark, Emanuel Cleaver, J. Correa, Joe Courtney, Jasmine Crockett, Diana DeGette, Rosa DeLauro, Maxine Dexter, Debbie Dingell, Sarah Elfreth, Valerie Foushee, Lois Frankel, Laura Friedman, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jahana Hayes, James Himes, Steven Horsford, Val Hoyle, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Greg Landsman, Rick Larsen, John Larson, Summer Lee, Susie Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Sam Liccardo, Doris Matsui, Sarah McBride, Jennifer McClellan, Betty McCollum, Kristen McDonald Rivet, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Kweisi Mfume, Kelly Morrison, Frank Mrvan, Kevin Mullin, Donald Norcross, Eleanor Norton, Johnny Olszewski, Ilhan Omar, Chris Pappas, Nancy Pelosi, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Emily Randall, Deborah Ross, Raul Ruiz, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Kim Schrier, Brad Sherman, Lateefah Simon, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland, Emilia Sykes, Shri Thanedar, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Lori Trahan, Nydia Velázquez, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Nikema Williams, and Hillary Scholten.