WNBA Athletes Advocate for Child Care and Family Perks in Collective Bargaining Agreement Negotiations
Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, a three-time league champion and mother of two, is advocating for a change in family planning benefits within the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Currently, under the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), players must complete eight years of service to access family benefits, a waiting period that Stewart finds excessive.
"You have to freeze your eggs sooner than that," Stewart told Sportico following a Liberty practice.
As part of the players union's executive committee, Stewart is engaged in negotiations for a potentially historic CBA. Prominent among the union's demands is lowering the service years required to activate benefits, which currently can reimburse a player up to $60,000 for expenses related to adoption, surrogacy, egg freezing, and fertility treatment. The current CBA agreement, which was signed in 2020, is set to expire in 2025.
The union has chosen to opt out of the existing agreement with the WNBA, and both parties have until October 31 to reach a new accord to prevent a possible work stoppage. Players are prepared to employ this tactic to secure a favorable agreement.
Strewart, a six-time All-Star, considers stronger family planning services and child care benefits as a high priority. She believes these benefits should rank second only to a revamped and equitable salary system in terms of importance for players.
"It's a big priority for me," she said. "There's a lot of babies in this league now compared to what there was in years' past."
The push for enhanced assistance in family planning comes in the wake of litigation ongoing between Los Angeles Sparks guard Dearica Hamby and the Las Vegas Aces, who are her former team, alleging her illegal trade due to her pregnancy. The lawsuit serves to highlight broader concerns surrounding the anxiety and apprehension players experience when considering starting families during their careers.
Recent addition Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who signed with the Aces in February, shared that she felt scared to disclose her pregnancy to her new front office staff but ultimately found them supportive.
"It's just unfortunate that there's such a stigma behind it in women's sports," Parker-Tyus said in an interview. "It's like we're not allowed to start families."
Negotiations between the WNBA and the players' union cover extensive topics, including salaries, travel, roster sizes, and season length. The league may be open to making concessions on the non-salary issue of family planning benefits as a means to placate player demands for a softer salary cap or significant changes in the existing economic model that pays players half of all incremental revenue.
However, some believe that reducing the years of service required to activate family planning benefits could have a minimal impact, as relatively few players might actually take advantage of this option, opting instead to delay starting families.
In the absence of benefits like those proposed, a significant number of professional female athletes are extending their playing careers and welcoming children while still active. The launch of Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 offseason league with a family-friendly focus, could potentially serve as leverage in future negotiations. This league, co-founded by Stewart and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier (also a mother), offers competitive salaries and family-focused services, such as on-site nannies to watch children during practices and games.
The current CBA was praised for its groundbreaking advancements in parental benefits but is now considered insufficient by many players due to its limited scope. Advocates hope that the next CBA will expand on these benefits to include support for recently retired players who postponed starting families for their careers. Nevertheless, as of May 2023, no specific updates have been confirmed regarding changes to eligibility requirements or improvements to family planning benefits in the new CBA negotiations.
The negotiations for the 2025 CBA are ongoing, with talks expected to intensify this summer as the season progresses and playoff positions become hotly contested.
"It's bubbling," Stewart said. "It's (soon) going to be constant madness on the court, but also off the court."
Related Story
- Dearica Hamby Lawsuit Against Las Vegas Aces Lives on, Judge Rules
- Breanna Stewart, a prominent figure in the WNBA, is advocating for a reduction in the waiting period for family benefits, believing it to be excessive, particularly for egg freezing and fertility treatment.
- As part of the players' union's executive committee, Stewart is engaged in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which may lower the service years required to activate benefits, currently reimbursing up to $60,000 for family-related expenses.
- Stronger family planning services and childcare benefits are a high priority for Stewart, who considers them second only to a revamped salary system in terms of importance for WNBA players.
- The push for enhanced family planning assistance comes amid ongoing litigation between Los Angeles Sparks guard Dearica Hamby and the Las Vegas Aces, who alleges her illegal trade due to her pregnancy. This lawsuit highlights broader concerns surrounding the anxiety and apprehension players experience when considering starting families during their careers.
