eBay Workers Ramp Up Mobilization to Fight Back Against Union-Busting

Solidarity Across the Country - Local 9413 Members Support Local 1123-TCGUnion Members

This is what union solidarity looks like! With eBay-owned gaming company TCGPlayer continuing to stall and delay bargaining and throwing every union-busting tactic in the book at the workers, several workers - members of CWA Local 1123 - traveled from Syracuse, NY to Las Vegas in late September to put eBay on blast for their illegal union-busting - and they had help from a huge showing of support by our CWA Local 9413 family.

CWAers picketed outside the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where the Workday Rising Conference was being held, to tell Workday CFO and eBay Board Member Zane Rowe to put an end to eBay’s union-busting and settle this contract now.

“We are here in Las Vegas to let Zane Rowe know that what happens in Syracuse doesn’t stay in Syracuse,” said Tyler, an Inventory Specialist at TCGplayer. “We’re fighting for the pay, benefits, and protections we deserve.”

The CWA 1123-TCGUnion members - the first group of eBay workers to unionize - have been fighting for their first union contract since early 2023, but have faced egregious union-busting from the company in the form of cutting benefits, delaying union recognition, and multiple federal labor law violations. But the workers are standing firm and refusing to back down against the Goliath commerce company - and it helps to know that our union family throughout the country has our members’ backs!

TCGplayer Workers Rally to Call Attention to eBay's Worker Exploitation

On October 2nd CWA Local 1123-TCGUnion members rallied in Syracuse, NY to highlight the inexcusably low wages made by workers and demand that eBay and its subsidiary company TCGplayer bargain in good faith and agree to reasonable contract terms, including meaningful wage increases.

On the same day, CWA launched the “Tapped Out at TCGplayer” report, showing how eBay are struggling to make ends meet - even as eBay boast about their net worth of $31 billion. The majority of eBay Authentication Center workers in Syracuse earn less than a living wage for a single person without children.

“Workers in Syracuse have shown incredible strength in their fight for fair pay and dignity in the workplace," said Chris Ryan, President of CWA Local 1123. "As one of the state’s largest employers, eBay and TCGplayer have quickly become a drain on our local economy by failing to pay workers livable wages and forcing them to rely on public assistance. eBay must bargain in good faith with its workers and raise the wages at TCGplayer, and I’m proud to stand in solidarity with CWA-TCGunion members in their efforts."

TCGplayer is one of the largest online marketplaces for verification services, card games, and collectible trading cards. Workers are responsible for ensuring that every shipment in and out of TCGplayer’s hub in Syracuse is completed accurately and meets quality standards.

TCGplayer workers won their union election in March 2023 and are the first group of eBay workers to win union recognition. In response to this victory, eBay and TCGplayer launched an anti-union campaign, hiring union-busting firm Littler Mendelson and engaging in a series of illegal delay tactics to avoid contract negotiations.

“Today’s rally is about more than just pay—it’s about dignity, respect, and being able to support our families," said Megan Wheeler, eBay worker and CWA Local 1123-TCGunion member. "We come to work every day to make TCGplayer what it is today, but it’s impossible to make ends meet on the wages we’re earning. We, the workers of CWA-TCGunion, are sending a message to eBay: we deserve to be treated fairly and we deserve livable wages, and we won’t back down until we secure a contract that reflects that."

The workers were joined at the rally by Citizen Action of NY, the NY Working Families Party, and elected officials including NY State Senator Rachel May and representatives from the offices of NY State Senator John Mannion and Senator Chuck Schumer.