Ebay-owned online TCG marketplace TCGPlayer has seen several accusations of union busting, shortly after the company's New York-based warehouse voted to unionize. Since its inception, TCGPlayer has grown into one of the largest online marketplaces for trading card games like Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokemon among others. The online store collaborates with game stores across the United States with a central warehouse located in Syracuse, NY.TCGPlayer made waves last year when the company announced it would be entering into a partnership with Ebay, selling for nearly $300 million dollars in a landmark deal. The acquisition comes as Ebay has increasingly pushed itself as a hub for trading card game enthusiasts in recent years, adding features like authentications for rare and valuable cards. Ebay's purchase of TCGPlayer was intended to see the marketplace continue to act independently along with the added infrastructure Ebay provides. Now, with employees at the company's warehouse voting to unionize, a key firing has many staff members accusing TCGPlayer of union busting.Following the TCGPlayer warehouse's decision to vote on unionization earlier this year, the National Labor Relations Board has seen four complaints about TCGPlayer from employees. Employees reported supervisors and managers taking note of pro-union apparel and interfering with unionization efforts among the staff. The most recent complaint comes following the firing of Iris St. Lucy, a major organizer in the warehouse staff's unionization efforts. Coworkers have rallied against TCGPlayer following the firing of St. Lucy, feeling the organizer's firing serves to further the need for a "just cause termination clause."
Allegations of TCGPlayer's union busting join concerns raised by both customers and coworkers related to the Ebay purchase last year. Many fans have expressed concerns that Ebay may be attempting to become a monopoly in the online TCG space by purchasing one of its biggest competitors. At the time of its purchase, TCGPlayer was one of the largest online marketplaces for trading card games with an in-house staff of nearly 700 employees. TCGPlayer currently boasts over 25,000 sellers on its website between individual collectors and nearly 1500 local game stores partnering with TCGPlayer.
The union busting claims against TCGPlayer come as many of the marketplace's most popular games are gearing up for major releases. The Pokemon Company announced "Pokemon Trading Card Game Classic" earlier this year as a new premium product re-releasing many of the game's most iconic early cards. Magic: The Gathering is also set to debut its Lord of the Rings collaboration in June, featuring an exclusive one of a kind card based on the franchise's "One Ring." But now accusations of union busting will cast a dark shadow over one of the most prominent online TCG storefronts.
Source: IGN