Bargaining Updates

• Takeaways: We came prepared with six proposals, including the introduction of our wages proposal at the end of the day. The company had two proposals on recently discussed items. We reached one new TA, and scheduled three new bargaining dates through October 1st.
• Upcoming Sessions: September 9, September 30, October 1
• Workplace Issues: Upcoming Receiving Changes, Security Cameras
• Tentative Agreements: Consecutive Scheduled Days Off
• Union Proposals: Consecutive Scheduled Days Off; Complete Agreement; Rules, Policies & Procedures; Payroll Deduction of Dues & Fees; Union Representation & Stewards; Pay Scale
• TCGplayer Proposals: Union Representation & Stewards; Payroll Deduction of Dues & Fees

• Takeaways: We bundled a number of pending proposals together in an attempt to make strong progress at this session, but the company rejected this package. Despite this, we still reached two new TA’s.
• Upcoming Sessions: August 27, September 9, September 30, October 1
• Tentative Agreements: Use of Slack; Seniority
• Union Proposals: Payroll Deduction of Dues & Fees; Union Representation & Stewards; Rules, Policies & Procedures; Management Rights
• TCGplayer Proposals: Use of Slack; Layoff & Recall; Seniority; Consecutive Scheduled Days Off; Payroll Deduction of Dues & Fees; Union Representation & Stewards

• Takeaways: We spent a lot of time working on proposals in caucus, but were ultimately unable to reach any new TAs. Using what we discussed and learned at recent sessions, we intend to rework many open issues into a single package.
• Upcoming Sessions: August 26–27
• Workplace Issues: COVID-19 Policy Memorandum of Understanding
• Union Proposals: Seniority, Layoff & Recall
• TCGplayer Proposals: Payroll Deductions for Dues & Fees, Stewards, Complete Agreement

• Takeaways: We focused on open issues in the AC such as health and safety hazards, emergency response, security cameras, and the lack of tier bumps for Inventory Specialists and Leads. We worked diligently to resolve disagreements, but there is still more to be done on core proposals such as Intent, Payroll Deduction of Dues, and Union Representation. We made significant progress toward an agreement on Ergonomics. 
• Upcoming Sessions: July 23, August 26–27
• Workplace Issues: Emergency Response; Construction/Chemical Notice; Inventory & Lead Promotions; Security Cameras
• Tentative Agreements: Intent
• Union Proposals: Intent; Union Representation; Payroll Deduction of Dues
• TCGplayer Proposals: Intent; Ergonomics

• Takeaways: Lots of discussion, but no new TAs. Gender Equity was revisited, but the company continues to avoid making a commitment to substantial elements of our proposal.
• Upcoming Sessions: July 22–23, August 26–27
• Union Proposals: Union Representation; Rules, Policies & Procedures; Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Intent
• TCGplayer Proposals: Intent; Payroll Deduction of Dues & Fees; Gender Equity & Inclusivity; Union Representation 

• Takeaways: Revisited a few proposals from earlier in bargaining, and proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on unjust discipline targeting Megan Wheeler. While the company declined to bargain over this, we did reach one new tentative agreement.
• Upcoming Sessions: June 28, July 22–23, August 26–27
• Tentative Agreements: Political Action Fund Deductions
• Union Proposals: Deduction of Dues & Fees; Union Membership; MoU on Discipline for Megan Wheeler; Use of Slack
• TCGplayer Proposals: Use of Slack; Rules, Policies & Procedures

• Takeaways: Primary focus of the day was on the Gender Equity proposal with Frankie and Valerie Rowan joining as subject matter experts from the bargaining unit. We had a successful picket action outside of this session with everyone’s voices outside the room amplifying our message at the table!
• Upcoming Sessions: June 14, June 28, July 22–23, August 26–27
• Union Proposals: Gender Equity; Weekend & Shift Differentials; Ergonomics; Political Action Fund Deductions; Rules, Policies & Procedures
• TCGplayer Proposals: Personal Leave; Management Rights; Rules, Policies & Procedures; Overtime; Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

June marks nine full months of bargaining for our first contract. While we’ve made quite a bit of progress in that time, we feel like we should be much further along by this time, especially considering the five months lost while the company refused to recognize and bargain with us.

We’ve continued to see regular delays, lack of responses on many items, and sessions with very little time for direct negotiations at the table as a result of the company’s behavior. There is still room for improvement in the number and frequency of sessions each month, despite the company’s attitude that we should be content with bargaining extending to the 14 month average for other first contracts.

We’ve seen the best responses from management shortly after we’ve engaged in collective action on and off the floor, and we know that more consistent action will be necessary as we get into the more difficult economic items.

• Takeaways: Despite the company only being present at the table for the morning, we were able to carry momentum from the previous day and our recent actions to achieve good progress on several open items, revisit some older proposals, and put forward one new item. We worked hard to revise proposals all day to get quick responses to the company, and reached a number of new TAs by the end of the session.
• Upcoming Sessions: June 13–14, June 28
• Tentative Agreements: Hours of Work, Schedules & Breaks; Resignations & Terminations; Bargaining Unit Work; Open Bargaining Unit Positions; Contracting Out Work; Bulletin Boards
• Union Proposals: Bargaining Unit Work; Management Rights; Hours of Work, Schedules & Breaks; Policies & Procedures; Resignations & Terminations; Open Bargaining Unit Positions; The Weekend; Fringe Benefits & Company Perks; Overtime; Bulletin Boards
• TCGplayer Proposals:  Personal Leave; Overtime; Open Bargaining Unit Positions; Bulletin Boards

• Takeaways: eBay’s team was more engaged this session, leading to better progress than our previous one. We have no doubt that this is the result of recent actions. Both sides came prepared with a solid number of proposals, and our team worked throughout the day to produce several more before the sessions’s close. We were able to score yet another new TA in our growing first contract.
• Upcoming Sessions: June 13–14, June 28
• Tentative Agreements: Military Leave
• Workplace Issues: Employee Discipline, Stewards (Pre-Contract), Weingarten Representation
• Union Proposals: Educational Assistance, Disability, Worker’s Compensation, Contracting out Work, Bulletin Boards
• TCGplayer Proposals: Gender Inclusivity, Political Action Fund Deductions, Payroll/Dues Deductions, Hours of Work/Schedules/Breaks, Military Leave, Resignations

• Takeaways: eBay’s team met us at the table for a total of only 37 minutes, far less than typical sessions despite the amount of unresolved work from the previous day. We at least made use of the day to prepare additional counters beyond what we had ready in the morning, and ultimately reached tentative agreements on a few items with good progress in earlier sessions.
• Upcoming Sessions: May 20–21
• Tentative Agreements: Attendance, Job Descriptions, Access to Company Worksite
• Union Proposals: Bargaining Unit Work, Contracting Out Work, Bulletin Boards, Internal Messaging Platform, Job Descriptions, Access to Company Worksite, Hours of Work, Job Bidding & Transfers, Parking
• TCGplayer Proposals: Job Descriptions, Access to Company Worksite, Bulletin Boards, Contracting Out Work, Performance of Bargaining Unit Work

• Takeaways: We did not reach any new tentative agreements, but we put forward many new proposals including Gender Equity. The company brought several counters but largely refused to interact with our newly introduced proposals.
• Upcoming Sessions: May 20–21
• Union Proposals: Gender Equity, Leaves of Absence (Paid), Paid Time Off, Holidays, Bereavement Leave, Jury Duty, Sabbatical Leave, Life Insurance, Public Transit Reimbursement, Bicycle Commuter Program, Vending Machine Allowance, Remote Work Allowance
• TCGplayer Proposals: Successorship, Attendance, Open Bargaining Unit Positions, Bargaining Unit Work, Stewards, Job Descriptions

• Takeaways: This session covered recent FMLA policy changes and new proposed changes to AC workflow by eBay’s bargaining team. While we were unable to reach any new tentative agreements, progress was made on several items. 
• Workplace Issues: We demanded the company cease its new FMLA enforcement, which they refused. The company also has yet to fully comply with our information request about the new cameras and security measures and policies.
• Upcoming Sessions: April 29–30, May 20–21; We have added new dates to our outstanding requests for additional bargaining dates for May.
• Union Proposals: Overtime
• TCGplayer Proposals: Open Bargaining Unit Positions, Bulletin Boards, Visitation, Attendance

• Takeaways: Today’s session focused on important discussions around several pending proposals, leading to good progress on some of them. We reached one new TA, and proposed bargaining dates for May.
• Workplace Issues: We discussed several outstanding issues affecting our coworkers, including surveillance and poor experiences with the recent wave of CX interviews. We learned late in the day about the change to FMLA policy and, regrettably, were unable to discuss the matter at the table.
• Upcoming Sessions: April 4–5, April 29–30
• Tentative Agreements: Reduced Work Schedule
• Union Proposals: Reduced Work Schedule, Open Bargaining Unit Positions, Bulletin Boards
• TCGplayer Proposals: Layoff & Recall; Hours of Work, Schedules & Breaks

• Takeaways: We were able to make progress on many existing proposals, as well as two new ones from our Union. We reached two new Tentative Agreements (TA), however the company rejected our Memorandum of Understanding for a wage increase.
• Upcoming Sessions: We have one more session later this month (March 22), and our first two-day session is scheduled for April 4–5. We’re excited for the momentum back-to-back sessions will offer and hope for more dates scheduled soon!
• Tentative Agreements: Bargaining Unit Covered, Joint Labor/Management Committee
• Union Proposals: Seniority, Bulletin Boards, Layoff & Recall, Progressive Discipline, Access to Company Worksite, Leaves of Absence (Unpaid), Military Leave
• TCGplayer Proposals: No Strike/No Lockout, Open Bargaining Unit Positions, Reduced Work Schedule, Rules/Regulations/Policies

• Takeaways: After a highly productive caucus session at the end of last week, our Bargaining Team was prepared with a dozen proposals, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding on COVID-19 policy.
• Union Proposals: Bulletin Boards, Seniority, Layoff & Recall, Successorship, Orientation, Attendance, Job Bidding & Transfers, Bargaining Unit Work, Contracting Work, Union Representation, Joint Labor Management Committee, Resignation/Termination, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) - COVID-19
• TCGplayer Proposals: Recognition, Management Rights, Seniority, Layoff & Recall, Visitation, Corrective Action, Overtime, Bulletin Boards

• Takeaways: We were able to reach a single new Tentative Agreement (TA) on Non-Discrimination at this session, and made progress on several others, as well as proposing a Memorandum of Understanding as part of this bargaining package. While we were expecting several counters to our proposals from previous sessions from the company’s bargaining team, we received little in the way of additional contributions from them.
• Union Proposals: Wage Increase MoU, Attendance
• TCGplayer Proposals: Non-Discrimination, Reduced Work Schedules, Seniority

• Big Win! We were able to reach tentative agreements on four proposals: Good Standing, Health & Safety, Lockers, and Personnel Files. 
• We discussed open issues such as safety issues with the elevators and Authentication Center, changes to accommodations, the installation of new security cameras, and COVID policy.
• Neither side exchanged new proposals, however, we did discuss several open proposals such as Non-Discrimination, Progressive Discipline, Seniority, Layoff & Recall, and Attendance.

January 17, 2024

Last week, we reached an agreement with TCGplayer management to include our bargaining unit in this year's eBay bonus payout, and drafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to sign during our last bargaining session. We received the signed and fully executed MoU today!

This will provide a better bonus than TCGplayer employees have received in past years, and sets an important precedent that we can in fact reach agreement on pressing matters as part of our ongoing bargaining for a first contract.

• Big Win! We were able to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the eBay Incentive Program (eIP) which ensures members of the bargaining unit will receive  the full eIP payout.
• We discussed many open issues such as payroll discrepancies and PTO balances, changes to accommodations, and COVID policy.
• Neither side exchanged new proposals, however, we did discuss several open proposals such as Health & Safety, Good Standing, Lockers, and Non-Discrimination.

• Takeaways: Most of this session’s discussions were around proposals that one side or the other had already put forward. While there was a good amount of discussion on a number of these topics, we continue to see a stagnant amount of real development towards a new contract.
• We were able to reach one new tentative agreement, on the subject of Employee Classification. This article covers what defines Full Time employees and what defines Part Time employees, in terms of number of average hours worked.
• We know that things have been busy with the holidays, but we want to thank everyone who took the time to join us for our Holiday Party this year! The friendships and connections that we have built here at TCGplayer are a huge part of the reason we came together to form our Union. We are looking forward to a great 2024 for everyone in our Union. A strong contract is on the horizon!
• Union Proposals: Recognition, Seniority, Locker and Lounge, Employee Classification, Overtime, Job Descriptions, Hours of Work, Joint Labor/Management Committee
• TCGplayer Proposals: Joint Labor/Management Committee (Counter), Lockers, Seniority, Management Rights, Performance of Bargaining Unit Work
• Take Action: Our next members’ meeting will be Sunday, January 21, 6:30–7:30pm, and we will be holding input sessions on Thursday, January 18 focusing on economic issues. Show up, make your voice heard, and join in building a strong union for you and your coworkers!

• Takeaways: Today’s bargaining session saw both teams with a lot of articles from the other side to discuss and make counter-proposals on. In contrast to previous bargaining sessions, both our team and eBay’s bargaining team were able to make significant progress on outstanding issues, with many articles we had not even discussed being very close to tentative agreements.
• While we were unable to reach any new tentative agreements, it is important to note that we did see a significant increase in engagement from eBay’s bargaining team. The only thing that changed between now and a week ago is our powerful collective actions like our informational picket. eBay knows we are serious, and we won’t be ignored in our quest for our first contract. 
• Whether you changed your Slack profile picture in solidarity, signed our Unity Pledge, or came out to march with us during our informational picket, thank you so much! YOU are the Union, and the reason we have come this far!
• Union Proposals: Lockers, Employee Classification, Hours of Work, Seniority, Bulletin Boards
• TCGplayer Proposals: Reduced Work Schedule, Joint Labor/Management Committee, Good Standing, Health and Safety, Attendance
• Take Action: Our Union is having a holiday party on 12/17! We have booked the Hops Spot from 6:30pm to 10:30pm!

• Takeaways: eBay’s bargaining team continues to engage with us in a dismissive and uncooperative manner. Because they refused to meaningfully engage with any of our proposals, we were not able to make progress on major contract items. It seems like the company’s strategy is to stall and waste time as much as possible.
• We were able to reach tentative agreements on two minor articles. We officially signed tentative agreements on our Savings and Individual Agreements articles.
• Union Proposals: Access to Company Workplace and Labor Management Committee.
• TCGplayer Proposals: Seniority, Hours of Work, Employee Classifications, and Non-Discrimination.
• Take Action: Our Union is having a holiday party on 12/17! We have booked the Hops Spot from 6:30pm to 10:30pm! RSVP: https://forms.gle/B6z7TdtAUzGjWjPD9

• Win! We were able to reach our second tentative agreement during the bargaining process! We reached consensus on our Duration clause!
• Union Proposals: Duration, Savings, Management Rights, Company Policies and Procedures, No Strike/No Lockout, Bulletin Boards, Non-Discrimination, Employee Classifications, Reduced Work Schedules, Union Membership, Payroll Deduction of Union Dues, and Political Action Fund Deductions
• TCGplayer Proposals: Lockers, Visitation, and Individual Agreements
• Take Action: Our Union is taking to the picket line to let TCGplayer know that we are serious about getting our first contract! If you haven’t already signed up for a timeslot to join our Informational Picket, follow the link below. Stand side by side with your friends and co-workers on 11/29! https://forms.gle/zhoFNeVW2yBSiUYV8

• Win! We agreed to 4 dates over the next 7 weeks! This is a huge improvement and a direct result of our Slack profile photo action.
• Another win! We reached our first TA (tentative agreement) on the Preamble. This is a small win but our first step towards building this contract!
• Union Proposals: Health & Safety; Job Bidding & Transfers; Attendance; Lounge & Lockers; Seniority; Duration; Savings Clause; Fringe Benefits; Bargaining Unit Work & Contracting; time off for committee members for negotiations and caucus days.
• TCGplayer Proposals: Management’s Rights; Intent; Bargaining Unit Covered; Rules, Regulations, Policies & Procedures; No Strikes/No Lockouts; Bulletin Board; Non-Discrimination; Bargaining Unit Work.
• Take Action: We are launching a sign-on letter calling on management to do more to demonstrate good faith bargaining. Join your Bargaining Committee and coworkers by adding your name: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/show-ebay-were-united-for-a-fair-contract/

• We are pushing to meet at least once a week for Bargaining and have proposed 20+ dates in coming weeks. Management has not yet responded to these requested dates or to the three proposals we submitted on 9/8.
• On 10/6, we submitted three more proposals on just cause discipline & discharge; Union rights & responsibilities; and force adjustments, layoffs, and recall. These proposals protect our rights in case of layoffs, set up a transparent process for disciplinary action, and build a foundation for how we expect to work together with management as a union in the future. Management has not responded to these proposals.
• Management introduced a proposal of their own on 10/6 containing several articles including management rights, rules & regulations, and no-strike. We have not agreed to these proposals because, as written, they would take away our rights as workers. We will counter these proposals with more reasonable and fair terms.

Report from our first day of bargaining:

• Our Union and the company agreed to bargain of non-economic subjects first.
• The Bargaining Committee presented three proposals:
  • Union Recognition: recognizing Communications Workers of America as our representative for collective bargaining agreements.
  • Non-Discrimination: neither party will discriminate against employees based on immutable or protected characteristics.
  • Grievance Procedure: how we will handle contractual disagreements or misunderstandings.
• We emphasized the importance of addressing financial burdens on our members throughout the eBay integration process.
• Unit Clarification scheduled for Tuesday, October 3 through Thursday, October 5, 2023.
• Next bargaining session scheduled for Friday, October 6, 2023.