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CWA Local 1123 Members at eBay's TCGPlayer Fighting Tooth and Nail for Their First Union Contract

02 Aug, 2023

In March, workers at eBay-owned gaming card company TCGplayer won their union election and became the first group of eBay workers to unionize. Since then, eBay and TCGPlayer have stalled and delayed bargaining, and committed several Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs). TCGPlayer even went so far as to try and get the union election thrown out - a request that was denied; the company has appealed again to the full National Labor Relations Board in Washington, DC.

CWA members are ramping up efforts to fight back against these union-busting tactics and win the contract that they deserve.

TCGPlayer Worker Joins White House Discussion on Organizing and Union-Busting

Briana Thomas (left) with fellow CWA member and SEGA worker Mohammad Saman

On July 17, CWA Local 1123 member and TCGPlayer worker Briana Thomas joined a dozen other workers from several different industries throughout the country for a discussion with President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Interim Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su. Briana and others shared their organizing experiences and discussed the importance of winning union contracts, as well as union-busting tactics used by employers.

“Workers in the video game industry care deeply about our work—and a union contract gives us the leverage to negotiate to make this a sustainable career. Winning our union election was only the first step—the real victory comes when we secure our first union contract,” said Saman. Saman and his co-workers at SEGA won their union election earlier this month.

“It was important for us to have this conversation because we are part of a much wider labor movement right now where more and more people are recognizing the need to unionize, to have job protections at work, to have livable wages and benefits that protect everybody,” Briana said. “It was great to see that they support our right to unionize.” Watch the full video featuring Briana here.

TCGPlayer Workers, Local 1123, and Supporters Rally; Multiple ULPs Filed

On July 31, the workers led a march through the streets of Syracuse to deliver a petition signed by a supermajority of workers and a community petition signed by approximately 6,500 community supporters from around the world uplifting their demand for eBay and TCGplayer to end delay tactics and bargain in good faith.

Local 1123 then held a rally and press conference packed with workers, allies, and elected officials demanding an end to the union-busting.

“Why are they hiding behind the most anti-union firm in the country, Littler Mendelson?” said CWA 1123 President Chris Ryan. “And speaking of Littler Mendelson, they've paid them thousands, tens of thousands dollars, probably at this point of hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to bust them instead of giving it back to them. It's disgusting.”

“eBay and TCGplayer management fail to see us as experts, disregards our feedback, and worsens problems, leaving us to clean up the mess,” said Kethry Warren, a TCGPlayer worker. “We have a pool of talented, hardworking, and passionate individuals whose voices go unheard. We are critical to eBay’s success, the company is not invested in ensuring we can work free from injury or earn enough to pay for groceries. It's time for management to back up their claims of respect for workers by coming to the bargaining table with real commitments, not just empty promises."

"Today, we held a rally to call on eBay and TCGPlayer to drop the appeal and bargain in good faith. They refused our invitation to discuss next steps to move forward together. We’ve had enough of their delays and demand they follow the law and bargain."