eBay is cutting more than 200 jobs at TCGplayer
- Ebay is cutting over 200 jobs at TCGplayer’s card authentication center in Syracuse, New York, as part of a plan to move operations to a warehouse in Kentucky.
- The decision has been met with criticism from the workers’ union, who claim that ebay is trying to “evade its bargaining obligations” and punish them for exercising their right to organize.
- TCGplayer’s union, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), had filed unfair labor charges against ebay earlier this year, accusing it of refusing to acknowledge the union and failing to provide relevant information related to collective bargaining.
- The workers’ union claims that ebay has created a “psychological warfare” situation by deploying security guards at the Syracuse center, which they say is intended to intimidate and harass employees who are trying to organize.
- Ebay has denied these allegations, stating that it is taking care of its employees during the transition and recognizing the impact on their families and the local community.
eBay is slashing the jobs of 220 workers at TCGplayer’s card authentication center in Syracuse, New York, as reported earlier by local news outlet LocalSyr. eBay will move the online trading card marketplace’s operations to a warehouse in Kentucky — a decision TCGplayer’s union claims is eBay’s attempt to “evade its bargaining obligations.”
eBay acquired TCGplayer for $295 million in 2022 as part of efforts to expand its presence in the trading card industry. The workers at TCGplayer unionized under the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in 2023, which later filed unfair labor charges that accused eBay of refusing to acknowledge the union, failing to provide relevant information related to collective bargaining, and “surveilling” pro-union employees, among other alleged union-busting tactics.
TCGplayer and eBay also canceled their meeting to finalize the union’s first contract just days before eBay revealed that it’s closing the Syracuse location.
The CWA has since filed another unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing eBay of “terminating the employment” of workers to avoid bargaining. On Monday, the CWA claimed that eBay hired security guards at TCGplayer’s Syracuse authentication center that have “created an oppressive atmosphere by physically and verbally harassing employees.”
“TCGplayer is closing its Syracuse Authentication Center to consolidate operations within an eBay logistics center in Kentucky,” eBay spokesperson Maddy Martinez said in a statement to The Verge. “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.”
“Deploying security guards to stalk us immediately after letting us know that we would all be losing our jobs is psychological warfare,” Zach Freeman, an eBay worker and TCGunion-CWA Local 1123 member said in a press release. “By unleashing this brutal surveillance and intimidation campaign, TCGplayer and eBay are doing everything in their power to punish us for exercising our federally-protected rights to organize.”
Update, May 27th: Added a statement from eBay.