NEW YORK -- The WNBA players union ratified its new six-year
collective bargaining agreement with the league on Tuesday.
Approval of the agreement needed a simple majority -- 88 of the
174 eligible players -- to pass.
According to Women's National Basketball Players Association
spokesman Dan Wasserman, that threshold was passed with 97 percent
of the ballots cast in favor of the new deal.
Although the deal is ratified, several players -- many of whom
are competing overseas -- had not voted as of late Tuesday
afternoon. There is no deadline for those remaining votes to be
received by the union.
The new deal, the third labor agreement for the league entering
its 12th season, was announced Monday and includes increases in
wages, a dual salary-cap system, and improvements to rules
structuring player appearances.
Training camps open April 20 and the regular season begins May
17.