eBay is cutting more than 200 jobs at TCGplayer

TCGplayer is an online marketplace wherever users tin bargain and merchantability trading cards for Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more. | Photo by Stefanie Rex/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

eBay is slashing the jobs of 220 workers astatine TCGplayer’s paper authentication halfway successful Syracuse, New York, arsenic reported earlier by local quality outlet LocalSyr. eBay volition determination the online trading paper marketplace’s operations to a warehouse successful Kentucky — a determination TCGplayer’s national claims is eBay’s effort to “evade its bargaining obligations.” 

eBay acquired TCGplayer for $295 million successful 2022 arsenic portion of efforts to grow its beingness successful the trading paper industry. The workers astatine TCGplayer unionized nether the Communications Workers of America (CWA) successful 2023, which aboriginal filed unfair labour charges that accused eBay of refusing to admit the union, failing to supply applicable accusation related to corporate bargaining, and “surveilling” pro-union employees, among different alleged union-busting tactics.

TCGplayer and eBay besides canceled their gathering to finalize the union’s archetypal declaration conscionable days earlier eBay revealed that it’s closing the Syracuse location.

The CWA has since filed different unfair labour practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing eBay of “terminating the employment” of workers to debar bargaining. On Monday, the CWA claimed that eBay hired information guards astatine TCGplayer’s Syracuse authentication halfway that person “created an oppressive ambiance by physically and verbally harassing employees.”

“TCGplayer is closing its Syracuse Authentication Center to consolidate operations wrong an eBay logistics halfway successful Kentucky,” eBay spokesperson Maddy Martinez said successful a connection to The Verge. “We admit the near-term interaction it volition person connected our employees, their families and the Syracuse community, and we are dedicated to taking attraction of our radical during this transition.”

“Deploying information guards to stalk america instantly aft letting america cognize that we would each beryllium losing our jobs is intelligence warfare,” Zach Freeman, an eBay idiosyncratic and TCGunion-CWA Local 1123 subordinate said successful a property release. “By unleashing this brutal surveillance and intimidation campaign, TCGplayer and eBay are doing everything successful their powerfulness to punish america for exercising our federally-protected rights to organize.”

Update, May 27th: Added a connection from eBay.