Summary
The popular trading card game marketplaceTCGPlayerhas been accused of engaging in anti-worker and anti-union practices at its authentication centre in Syracuse, New York.
In recent times, hundreds of workers at TCGPlayer’s authentication centre in Syracuse opted to unionise, forming TCGunion-CWA (Communication Workers of America) Local 1123. The union branch was in the process of trying to get TCGPlayer and its parent company Ebay, to agree to a collective bargaining agreement.
However, last week, TCGPlayer announced the sudden closure of the authentication centre. Accordingto the CWA, this is “an attempt to evade its bargaining obligations and to keep the company non-union.”
The CWA also reports that TCGPlayer immediately sent security guards to the authentication centre following the announcement, with an implicit mission to harass and intimidate workers.
These individuals reportedly told workers they were getting paid hourly to “beat on people.” Allegedly, a representative from Ebay began grabbing and verbally abusing a worker as he was clearing out his locker, escorting him forcefully from the building and threatening to call the police.
“We refuse to accept Ebay’s corporate terrorism and contempt for its workforce,” said CWA District 1 vice president Dennis Trainor. “We will hold Ebay accountable in the courts, in the streets, and in the public eye until justice is served for the very workers who built TCGPlayer into what it is today.”
TCGPlayer has regularly been involved in workers' rights controversies, as the company chooses to engage in union suppression tactics instead of collective bargaining. The company was found to be violating workers' rights by the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) in 2023.
TCGPlayer remains a popular trading card game marketplace and has an active partnership with Magic: The Gathering manufacturer Wizards of the Coast to verify online sellers.
The marketplace primarily facilitates the selling of cards from Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon TCG, Disney Lorcana and other popular trading card games. TCGPlayer also runs a card conditioning service for grading the quality of cards.
The CWA and local politicians have organised a rally at TCGPlayer’s Syracuse headquarters to denounce the closure of the authentication centre. The event will take place at 6 PM ET on May 27.
