eBay charged with multiple unfair labor complaints in struggle with its first Union.

[fab_finds4u]

I'm not surprised. 

https://www.theverge.com/2023//7/31/23813935/ebay-tcgplayer-union-labor-unfair-complaint-cwa

[monica-sells]

interesting....seems to me it is TCGPlayer that is the subject here.....

and, from the merger/acquisition press release....

“This new chapter allows us to continue operating independently within eBay, while also benefiting from their decades of industry experience and resources to deepen the connection between hobbyists and their communities,” Chedy Hampson, founder and CEO of TCGplayer, says in the press release.

bit, it's too late to deal in facts, the thread headline is already there.....

[richard1rst]

Every story has 2 sides. And yet the entire article is from the union's point of view only. A fair and balanced reporter would have included comments and counter arguments from eBay.  Maybe the union itself isn't legitimate, or they engaged in illegal tactics, or ???????

But without both sides of the story the article is superfluous.

[bryo_3145]

People need to ask themselves why all these labor unions are going on strike? Why are labor unions getting pushed out and disappearing? Where is the work force? Why do people not want to work anymore? Cost of living vs. wages? Homeless increase. A lot of our work force has moved overseas. Cheap labor. There are so many factors. 

God Bless America, and Canada Port Workers. 

[valueaddedresource]

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@monica-sells wrote:

interesting....seems to me it is TCGPlayer that is the subject here.....

and, from the merger/acquisition press release....

“This new chapter allows us to continue operating independently within eBay, while also benefiting from their decades of industry experience and resources to deepen the connection between hobbyists and their communities,” Chedy Hampson, founder and CEO of TCGplayer, says in the press release.

bit, it's too late to deal in facts, the thread headline is already there.....

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@monica-sells there has been a lot that has happened since that press release....including the fact that Hampson stepped down as CEO in March and eBay's GM Canada Rob Bigler was promoted to take over as CEO at TCGPlayer.

eBay's Chief Accounting Officer and Chief Information Officer both also stepped down around the same time and while eBay has given no official explanation for those departures, the timing and fact that they were both responsible for/involved in Mergers and Acquisition in those roles and that there have been serious questions raised about possible disclosure and due diligence lapses in the acquisition process that completely missed the risks of unionization (TCGPlayer workers previously tried organize in 2020) paints an interesting picture.

As of today the TCGPlayer employees are officially incorporated into eBay and while TCGPlayer may operate somewhat independently as a subsidiary, make no mistake that legally the company is owned by eBay and the workers are employed by eBay.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

I think the article / link if fake news. 

Why would eBay employees have a union? They are office format, desktop workers, and probably work from home / remote at times.

They do not do any physical work like delivering packages or work in a warehouse. 

[valueaddedresource]

@richard1rst  TCGPlayer authentication workers followed the proper procedures to file a union petition and hold a vote - which won 136 (for) to 87 (against).

TCGPlayer/eBay put out a statement saying they were "disappointed" in the results and they filed objections with the National Labor Relations Board.

NLRB did not agree with eBay/TCGPlayer, stating that they "find that the Employer’s objections are wholly without merit" and overruling them in their entirety.

eBay has hired a very well known anti-union law firm and is throwing who knows how much money at dragging this out appealing that decision instead of accepting the results of the vote and the ruling.

Obviously their prerogative of course, but I have a hard time seeing how that jives with eBay's publicly published human rights policy which states, in part, "eBay also respects workers’ rights to unionize, and commits to bargain in good faith with any relevant associations or labor unions."

https://www.ebayinc.com/company/human-rights-policy-statement/ 

[richard1rst]

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@valueaddedresource wrote:

@richard1rst  TCGPlayer authentication workers followed the proper procedures to file a union petition and hold a vote - which won 136 (for) to 87 (against).

TCGPlayer/eBay put out a statement saying they were "disappointed" in the results and they filed objections with the National Labor Relations Board.

NLRB did not agree with eBay/TCGPlayer, stating that they "find that the Employer’s objections are wholly without merit" and overruling them in their entirety.

eBay has hired a very well known anti-union law firm and is throwing who knows how much money at dragging this out appealing that decision instead of accepting the results of the vote and the ruling.

Obviously their prerogative of course, but I have a hard time seeing how that jives with eBay's publicly published human rights policy which states, in part, "eBay also respects workers’ rights to unionize, and commits to bargain in good faith with any relevant associations or labor unions."

https://www.ebayinc.com/company/human-rights-policy-statement/ 

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OK. Thanks for that.

But in all fairness, as I mentioned in my post, that information should have been in the news release. Otherwise, as stated, it is a one sided story immediately subject to skepticism. I fault the reporters for that.

[monica-sells]

@valueaddedresource 

You have done good research....

My whole point was the 'clickbait' headline...

IF it read

"...Re: TCGPlayer charged with multiple unfair labor complaints in struggle with its first Union..."

not a soul would bother looking at it.....

that all.......

[valueaddedresource]

@sextons-sweet-deals did you even read the article?

TCGPlayer is a collectible trading card marketplace that eBay acquired last year with over 200 employees working at the company's physical location in Syracuse, New York. The specific employees who have unionized engage in physical, sometimes specialized work in handling and authenticating cards at that facility.

One might even surmise one reason eBay is particularly concerned about this issue is the further implications it could have for their other labor-centric operations for sneaker and handbag authentication, not to mention warehouse workers at the eBay Vault.

Considering how many articles are written any time someone even whispers the word "union" within 5 miles of an Amazon warehouse, it absolutely blows my mind how little main stream media attention this has gotten.

[valueaddedresource]

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@monica-sells wrote:

@valueaddedresource 

You have done good research....

My whole point was the 'clickbait' headline...

IF it read

"...Re: TCGPlayer charged with multiple unfair labor complaints in struggle with its first Union..."

not a soul would bother looking at it.....

that all.......

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@monica-sells the headline is not inaccurate - the complaints being filed with the NLRB today name both TCGPlayer and eBay.

[onefootflippers]

One other side that might not be immediately apparent is that the supply of people who want to work in the TCG industry is insanely large compared to the tiny amount of jobs in it.

I have worked in the industry on the retail side.  We had guys with college degrees lining up for entry level retail jobs with no benefits that paid less than fast food did.  We had so much choice in employees that we didn't take applications and only directly recruited people whom we know were interested and were experts in the field.  That was 4 years ago, that employer is much larger now and I have no knowledge of their current salaries or benefits.

I am willing to bet tcgplayer also has people lining up wanting to work there to the point where they don't need to pay well.

[ed8108]

Why wouldn't manny private sector employees prefer to have a union?

 Realize that even government employees have unions, protecting the interests of employees working for government !

[richard1rst]

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@ed8108 wrote:

Why wouldn't manny private sector employees prefer to have a union?

 Realize that even government employees have unions, protecting the interests of employees working for government !

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George Washington once said:

“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”

You could just as easily substitute "union bosses" for "government" and the quote is just as true.

While it is true that both governments and unions serve useful purposes, they do so for their own aggrandizement  not necessarily for the benefit of the members. 

[valueaddedresource]

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@richard1rst wrote:

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@valueaddedresource wrote:

@richard1rst  TCGPlayer authentication workers followed the proper procedures to file a union petition and hold a vote - which won 136 (for) to 87 (against).

TCGPlayer/eBay put out a statement saying they were "disappointed" in the results and they filed objections with the National Labor Relations Board.

NLRB did not agree with eBay/TCGPlayer, stating that they "find that the Employer’s objections are wholly without merit" and overruling them in their entirety.

eBay has hired a very well known anti-union law firm and is throwing who knows how much money at dragging this out appealing that decision instead of accepting the results of the vote and the ruling.

Obviously their prerogative of course, but I have a hard time seeing how that jives with eBay's publicly published human rights policy which states, in part, "eBay also respects workers’ rights to unionize, and commits to bargain in good faith with any relevant associations or labor unions."

https://www.ebayinc.com/company/human-rights-policy-statement/ 

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OK. Thanks for that.

But in all fairness, as I mentioned in my post, that information should have been in the news release. Otherwise, as stated, it is a one sided story immediately subject to skepticism. I fault the reporters for that.

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@richard1rst in fairness to the reporter, not every side in every story engages to the same degree or even responds to requests for comment.

The union side has been much more vocal/proactive with providing quotes and information. The reporter did the professional thing and stated that eBay/TCGPlayer had not responded to request for comment at the time of publishing and the article has since been updated to include a statement from TCGPlayer.