TCGplayer workers rally at shuttering authentication center amid union-busting allegations

Internet commerce giant eBay is closing down the TCGplayer authentication center in Syracuse, New York, the company announced to workers last week. The closure puts hundreds of people — including the entire union — out of jobs in the highly-specialized field. Members of TCGUnion-CWA have been negotiating with eBay for more than 600 days, according to Communications Workers of America. Union members rallied outside the Syracuse authentication center on Tuesday with local labor leaders and politicians; they’re also calling for supporters to sign a petition demanding “accountability and justice” from TCGplayer CEO Rob Bigler and eBay CEO Jamie Iannone.

The majority of union-eligible TCGplayer workers voted yes in a National Labor Relations Board vote in March 2023. Bargaining for a contract has remained a struggle for the group, which has accused eBay management of union-busting; CWA has filed five separate unfair labor charges against eBay since 2023, alleging surveillance of unionized workers, refusal to bargain, and coercive statements. All previous charges have been closed, save for the one filed on May 22 over the center shutdown. TCGplayer management and eBay have been represented by "union avoidance" firm Littler Mendelson, which is known for fighting unions at Apple and Starbucks. TCGplayer workers attempted to unionize first in 2020 with the Service Employees International Union, but canceled its vote days before it was scheduled to happen. CWA alleged that management hired Littler Mendelson at that time to "to spread disinformation and in the last weeks leading up to the election," per a news release. TCGplayer was acquired by eBay in 2022, and shortly after, workers kicked up their unionization efforts again.

“For the past several months, progress has been at a slow trickle,” TCGplayer senior research and development specialist Richard Vallejo told Rascal. “Just enough for management to be able to claim they have been bargaining in good faith, but we've had too few sessions with too little in the way of meaningful responses from management. They have consistently refused to engage with us on wages, and all of their counter proposals on benefits have attempted to maintain their right to make unilateral changes during the life of the contract.”

"Security guards corralling crying coworkers made it feel like we were being treated like prisoners in our own workplace."

Workers at the TCGplayer authentication center evaluate and authenticate Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and other trading cards. Specialist workers intake and inspect cards that are sent to TCGplayer; a single worker can touch thousands of cards each week. Others file away inspected cards for storage, before those cards are eventually pulled and shipped to buyers. It’s a job that requires detailed knowledge of TCG and how they're uniquely constructed and analyzed for quality, but there’s also a physical element to the job — standing all day and straining your eyes to find flaws in each card.

Last week, eBay closed the authentication center and laid everyone off. “The floor dropped out from under us,” Vallejo said. He called the meeting a “bait-and-switch” — management even brought in donuts for the group — before announcing that it was consolidating its warehouse centers within Kentucky. Everyone had lost their jobs, including people boasting up to 10 years of experience working with Magic: The Gathering and other TCGs at the authentication center.

“Security guards corralling crying coworkers made it feel like we were being treated like prisoners in our own workplace,” Vallejo said. “In hindsight, the beefed up security was a sign something was up, but no one expected this to happen now. Why even put in the effort they did at bargaining just to throw everything away?”

CWA alleged that security guards “physically grabb[ed] and verbally harass[ed]” at least one union member, the union said in a news release issued on Monday.

An eBay spokesperson told Rascal that the authentication center is not immediately closing, but would have a “transition period” to wind down operations. The spokesperson denied that the closure was related to the union and contract negotiations. 

“We are constantly evaluating our authentication capabilities and logistics footprint to ensure we are offering best-in-class service to our customers,” the spokesperson said. “As a result, TCGplayer is closing its Syracuse Authentication Center to consolidate operations within an eBay logistics center in Kentucky. This was a difficult decision. We recognize the near-term impact it will have on our employees, their families and the Syracuse community, and we are dedicated to taking care of our people during this transition.”

Vallejo said, however, that the union believes the shutdown was directly related. “We've regularly been told that the company has been on a good trajectory, with a lot of work going into improvements and changes,” he said. “This abrupt closure and relocation is an obvious move to avoid reaching a first contract and go to a right-to-work state with cheaper labor."