Posts tagged NBA
MLB owners propose first salary cap since 1994 strike
May 30, 2026 // Teams that would need to increase their payrolls based on current projections for this season are the A's, Rockies, Cardinals, Guardians, White Sox, Pirates, Twins, Brewers, Rays, Marlins, Nationals and Reds. Teams that would need to shed payroll to get under the cap are the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Phillies, Red Sox, Braves and Padres. MLB remains the only major North American professional sports league without a cap-and-floor system. The last time baseball owners proposed a firm cap --1994 -- it prompted a 7½-month strike that forced the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. MLB eventually withdrew the cap proposal after pressure by the National Labor Relations Board.
Murmurs: PCC Spent $260,000 on Unemployment Benefits During Strike
May 26, 2026 // Senate Bill 916, which allows striking workers to access unemployment insurance during their time on the picket line, made Oregon the first state in the nation to require public employers to pay such benefits. Now we know how much that cost PCC. James Hill, a spokesman for the college, says it estimates it will incur about $260,000 in unemployment claims associated with the strike. (The average striking worker may claim unemployment starting in the third week of a strike, the same week the faculty union’s strike was resolved at PCC.) That number is significantly lower than the $1.45 million the college estimated it might have to pay each week, if all striking workers had filed claims. Public employers, often known as “reimbursing” employers, don’t opt to pay unemployment contributions to the state on a regular basis. Instead, such employers often reimburse the state dollar for dollar, which drove many public agencies to warn that the legislation would financially drain them. And while the state can relieve public employers of costs if they negotiate back pay agreements, PCC opted not to. The strikes at PCC were the first at a community college in Oregon’s history, and may have had broader implications for the institution. PCC president Adrien Bennings voluntarily separated from the college on May 14. The college’s board of trustees voted 6–1 to approve a $261,000 severance package—$1,000 more than it spent on striking workers—among other perks.
MLB, players’ union meet to begin labor talks, sources say
May 14, 2026 // MLB intends to pursue a salary cap system, a financial structure that players staunchly oppose. The current deal, which came after a 99-day lockout by the league that threatened the beginning of the 2022 season, expires Dec. 1. If there is no agreement by the time the deal lapses, MLB is expected to again lock out the players, causing a work stoppage that could jeopardize games in the 2027 season. During the opening presentations, sources said, the sides outlined their views on the game, noting challenges they see and opportunities to use labor negotiations as a tool to move it forward.
WNBA players union votes to authorize a strike after record-breaking season
December 23, 2025 // Labor negotiations reached a tipping point on Thursday when the WNBA’s players association announced that its members voted to authorize a strike if one becomes necessary as the deadline for the league’s contract negotiations grows closer. After months of stalled talks over the player’s new collective bargaining agreement, which has seen players like Napheesa Collier speaking out about low player salaries despite record growth, 98% of players who participated in the vote agreed to authorize a strike.
Union Leadership Blasts State Plan to Invest Pension Fund in Connecticut Sun
September 22, 2025 // Earlier this month, Gov. Lamont floated the idea of using the state’s pension fund to invest in the Sun to keep it in the state. That build on reporting last month that the state was considering a plan to help keep the WNBA franchise in the state, despite offers from at least two NBA owners and the WNBA itself.
WNBA labor strike, alternate league will follow new media rights deal: Bill Simmons
July 29, 2024 // But the WNBA’s portion of that deal, with about $200 million per year — which translates to $2.2 billion out of a $77 billion pie for the NBA — already has some raising their eyebrows. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is firmly among that crowd, speculating on his podcast that the massive disparity between valuation of the NBA and WNBA will eventually lead to a labor strike, and possibly a competing league forming. “It’s gonna lead to a labor strike is what’s gonna happen,” Simmons said after his guest, The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson, pointed out that average WNBA viewership is not far off NBA numbers — and in the case of games between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, eclipses it. “That’s where we’re headed in the next two years. The thing that I think is gonna happen is I think somebody is gonna try to form an alternate league. Cause it’s not like all of these WNBA players are tied to their teams forever.”
Aramark workers at Wells Fargo Center announce strike for 1st home game of Sixers-Knicks playoff series
April 22, 2024 // On Thursday, the Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution to support food service employees in their contract negotiations. The document "urges Aramark to negotiate fair and equitable contracts that provide these workers with a standard minimum wage and healthcare coverage." At Thursday's City Council meeting, union members announced another strike for Thursday, April 25 -- Game 3 of the Sixers-Knicks playoff series and the first time the Sixers will be at home in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.