eBay has laid off over 200 workers at TCGplayer’s Syracuse authentication centre and will move operations to a warehouse in Kentucky, reportedly in an attempt to “evade its bargaining obligations” in relation to the workers’ union.
eBay acquired TCGplayer, an online marketplace for trading cards, for $295m in 2022.
The TCGplayer workers unionised in 2023 under the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which filed unfair labour practice charges, accusing eBay of union-busting activities.
The CWA has also filed another charge with the National Labour Relations Board, accusing eBay of firing workers to avoid bargaining.
A week prior to the announcement of the centre’s closure, eBay cancelled a meeting to finalise the union’s first contract.
The CWA claims that eBay has hired security guards at the Syracuse centre who have “verbally and physically harassed” employees.