Business
WNBA players say they’re ‘feeling movement’ as league, union push toward landmark CBA
A general view of the WNBA logo on the court before a WNBA game between the Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, Sept. 1, 2025.
Erica Denhoff | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
The Women’s National Basketball Association and its Players Association are inching closer to a collective bargaining agreement, now two days past their self-imposed deadline.
The parties have been meeting around the clock at a midtown hotel in New York, with negotiations stretching into the late morning hours to hammer out a deal, according to a person familiar with the process, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly. There have been nine proposals exchanged between the two sides in recent days addressing nearly every issue up for discussion, the person said.
The negotiations come as women’s sports have seen major financial growth from bigger media deals and strong demand.
The WNBA previously said the new CBA would need to be in place by March 10 in order to start their season on time. Negotiations continued Thursday. It’s unclear what the delay will mean for the scheduled season start.
WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike told reporters late Wednesday that players are “feeling movement” in the talks. The Players Association said it has been and will continue to be fully engaged in the negotiations.
“We want to play. We’ve heard that from the other side as well,” Ogwumike told reporters.
The latest league proposal included increases in nearly every category, according to a copy of the details obtained by CNBC.
According to the proposal, the league is offering a salary cap four times higher than the current cap — at $6.2 million, up from the existing cap of $1.5 million. That cap would grow annually with team and league revenue growth, per the proposal.
Average salaries would also see a major increase, starting at $570,000 in year one and growing to $850,000 in year six. The current average player salary in the league is about $120,000, according to a second person familiar with the current CBA, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on the matter publicly.
The proposal includes maximum salaries exceeding $1.3 million and growing to nearly $2 million. The current maximum contract under the existing CBA is just under $250,000, the second person added.
The sides are still at odds over revenue sharing, however, according to the first person familiar with the matter.
The latest proposal from the league includes a new uncapped revenue-sharing system that is tied to both league and team revenues, according to the version obtained by CNBC. It no longer includes minimum thresholds for sharing to be triggered.
The league is also offering new minimum standards for facility upgrades, such as locker rooms, weight rooms and treatment areas, as well as charter flight and first-class travel amenities for all league events and increased performance bonuses.
The WNBA season is set to kick off Friday, May 8, and the draft is scheduled for April 13.
Business
Claire’s closes all 154 stores in UK and Ireland with loss of 1,300 jobs
All of the chain’s standalone stores have stopped trading in the UK and Ireland.
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Business
Domino’s Pizza stock falls on disappointing sales — and CEO thinks more chains will follow
A pedestrian walks by a Domino’s Pizza on Dec. 9, 2025 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Domino’s Pizza stock fell 10% in morning trading on Monday after it reported weaker-than-expected U.S. same-store sales growth.
The chain’s domestic same-store sales rose just 0.9%, lower than the 2.3% bump expected by Wall Street analysts, based on StreetAccount estimates.
“We’re not happy with it,” CEO Russell Weiner told CNBC.
The pizza chain also lowered its full-year U.S. same-store sales forecast to low-single digit growth, down from its prior projection that U.S. same-store sales will increase 3%.
Weiner said he expects more fast-food chains to report similar headwinds from winter weather and weak consumer sentiment, which took a dive in March due to spiking fuel prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
“One of the bad things about reporting first is you don’t get to hear about anybody else,” Weiner said.
Domino’s kicked off the earnings season for restaurant chains. Starbucks is on deck after the bell on Tuesday, and Chipotle Mexican Grill and Pizza Hut owner Yum Brands are expected to share their results on Wednesday. Rival Papa John’s will report its earnings next Thursday.
During the quarter, Domino’s also faced stiffer competition from rival pizza chains. Papa John’s and Pizza Hut both matched Domino’s $9.99 “Best Deal Ever” with promotions at the same price point. And Little Caesars undercut Domino’s $6.99 Mix & Match deal with a $5.99 version.
“People are seeing what we’re doing, and they’re sick of losing share, and they’re coming at it,” Weiner said, adding that he still expects Papa John’s and Pizza Hut to report same-store sales declines for the quarter despite the new promotions.
Looking ahead, Weiner expressed confidence that Domino’s will prove itself in the long run.
“Domino’s has got a bigger advertising budget than our second two competitors combined,” he said. “And those competitors are both going up for sale, so we know things aren’t good there right now.”
Yum announced in November that it was exploring strategic options for Pizza Hut, which could include a sale. And Papa John’s is reportedly in talks with Qatari-backed Irth Capital to go private. Both chains have also announced plans to close hundreds of restaurants this year, which could further boost Domino’s dominant position in the pizza category.
And if either Pizza Hut or Papa John’s goes private, Weiner said he expects that a new owner would shutter even more locations — a win for Domino’s.
Shares of Domino’s have lost nearly a third of their value over the last year. The company’s market cap has fallen to roughly $11.2 billion.
Business
United Airlines CEO confirms he approached American Airlines about merger
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby (L) and American Airlines CEO Robert Isom listen as U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to reporters outside the White House on October 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby confirmed Monday that he contacted American Airlines about a potential merger, a possibility American rejected.
“I approached American about exploring a combination because I thought we could do something incredible for customers together,” Kirby said in a statement. He said he shared his “big, bold vision” because he was confident it could win regulatory approval.
American rejected the idea and its CEO, Robert Isom, last week said such a merger would be bad for customers and “anticompetitive.”
Kirby had floated the idea to the Trump administration earlier this year, according to people familiar with the matter who weren’t authorized to discuss the private conversation, in hopes that the combination would mean a big global airline to compete with foreign rivals
American declined to comment on Kirby’s Monday statement.
“I was hoping to pitch that story to American, but they declined to engage and instead responded by publicly closing the door,” Kirby said in his statement Monday. “And without a willing partner, something this big simply can’t get done.”
He said that “American’s public comments make it clear that a merger like this is off the table for the foreseeable future” but outlined his vision for a combined airline.
Kirby reiterated that the country has deficit with foreign airlines that fly more than half of the long-haul seats into the U.S., with most of the customers being Americans.
“The combined scale of United and American would be a better way to compete with foreign carriers,” he said.
President Donald Trump said he was against the idea of a combination last week.
“I don’t like having them merge,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday morning. He said he would, however, like someone to buy struggling discount carrier Spirit but he also suggested that the federal government could “help that one out.”
Spirit and the Trump administration are in advanced talks for a rescue package.
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