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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Abigail Segel

The US’s biggest pro women’s sports unions have found strength together

Kiki Iriafen #44 of the Washington Mystics, Gabby Williams #5 of the Seattle Storm, Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces, Sonia Citron #2 of the Washington Mystics and Brittney Sykes #15 of the Washington Mystics wear shirts saying
The WNBA players’ All-Star shirts became a hot commodity among NWSLPA staff. Photograph: Steph Chambers/Getty Images

As the WNBA’s biggest stars warmed up for the All-Star Game on 19 July, the message came through loud and clear. All wore shirts reading “Pay Us What You Owe Us,” with the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association (WNBPA) logo prominently displayed below. The visual immediately went viral, drawing attention to the union’s ongoing negotiations with the league for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Had the messaging started and ended with those shirts, it would have been notable, but limited in scope. Instead, a continuing campaign became just one example of the ways the two most prominent women’s players’ unions in the US have worked together to advance their causes.

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