Snapshot Summary

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

Full Report

On August 27th, 2024, we had our 25th bargaining session on the path to our first contract. Our Union’s team consisted of Briana Thomas, Ethan Salerius, Robert Guy, and CWA staff representative Mike Garry. The company’s team consisted of Alan Model, Sarah Shepard, Donna Gibbons, and Mike Pretty.

Despite the company’s lack of interest in our package proposal from the previous session, we came fully prepared with a new set of five proposals building on our conversations from the day before. Regrettably, the company did not have any proposals to share with us until after we broke for caucus.

After working through proposals and clarifying key concerns to find common ground, we reached one new tentative agreement on Consecutive Scheduled Days Off, which grants AC workers a right to two consecutive days off per week. This brings us to a total of 28 TAs on contract items, plus the eIP MoU. We were also able to secure three new bargaining dates through October 1st. We hope to increase the frequency of bargaining sessions in the near future to improve the rate of progress, as AC workers sorely deserve.

Outside of work, we will be joining for the annual Labor Day Parade at the NYS Fair on Monday, September 2nd. Come rep our union and celebrate the movement to build working class power with other local unions! We will gather near the Expo building between 9:30 and 10:00am before the march and rally. We have tickets and parking passes available, get in touch for more details!

Workplace Issues

Upcoming Receiving Changes: Management informed us of their plan to announce changes coming to the Receiving department in September. While we can’t release details as management finalizes their communications, we appreciate that management did the right thing by bringing these changes to us prior to implementation. We had some questions about the details and impacts of the changes which management was not able to answer at the time. We hope to gain a better understanding and discuss any potential impacts further to ensure our concerns as workers are properly addressed.
Security Cameras: After months of discussion and questions regarding the security cameras installed earlier this year, management finally provided us with two screenshots from cameras located near the bathrooms closest to Receiving. The screenshots provided gave us more questions than answers, however, as parts of the images are blocked out and suggest possible AI software capabilities not previously disclosed by the company. The images were sent by email after the session ended so we did not have an opportunity to make any further requests for information.

Tentative Agreements

Consecutive Scheduled Days Off: We revised aspects of the company’s latest version which we felt could negate the core intent of this item, reinforcing a shared commitment to providing two consecutive days off to all current and future employees, while giving management the ability to determine specific schedules offered. Employees who prefer a schedule that does not include two consecutive days off may continue with their current schedule, or ask to be moved to a new schedule. After some further discussion and a late caucus break, we were able to reach a TA on this article.

Our Proposals

Complete Agreement: We removed a section the company had included that would void all past practice as a part of this contract, as other articles specifically reference past practices to either alter or continue them. This article is otherwise functionally the same as the company’s initial proposal after separating language from the Intent article.
Rules, Policies & Procedures: We revised some of our language to clarify that we are only interested in addressing mandatory subjects of bargaining in relation to policy changes. As many of the changes the company could make may not relate to these mandatory subjects, the company would generally have the ability to operate its business unimpeded. We also removed training programs from the list of rights exclusive to management until the role of trainers as part of the bargaining unit is clarified by the NLRB.
Payroll Deduction of Dues & Fees: We added language stipulating the responsibility of our Union to explain dues and agency fees on request by members of the bargaining unit, while omitting the company’s language that would require our Union to more directly act against its own interests beyond what the law requires. Further progress on this item is blocked until the company responds to our proposal on Union Membership.
Union Representation & Stewards: In an attempt to find compromise, we lowered the cap on stewards to 10 percent of the unit. This limit would afford us flexibility to ensure dutiful execution and good skill matching for the various responsibilities of stewards, with room necessary to enable healthy diversity in representation. To address concerns pertaining to Union business conducted on company time, we itemized responsibilities that we feel are fair for stewards to perform on the clock, while allowing for unpaid time for all other Union business.
Wage Scale: We did not expect eBay’s team to officially respond at this session, but we wanted to give them an opportunity to start the work of analyzing our wage proposal with the thought and attention it deserves. Our proposal outlines wage scales for various pay grades, addressing long-stagnant pay by accounting for inflation, raises in minimum wage, and other factors which we intimately understand present significant hardship on all of us in the AC.
The wage scale we proposed would be retroactive to January 1, 2024, would provide a significant raise for everyone in our Union with annual increases across the board, and create more meaningful potential for progression within the unit without meager incentive structures related to metrics. We firmly believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and that we should all be able to afford to live in the city where we work.
After we presented our reasoning and thought process in building this proposal, management asked some clarifying questions about the relationship with metrics and benefits but declined to respond further as we anticipated. If you would like to know more, feel free to contact anyone in the Bargaining Committee—we would be happy to help you understand the priorities we’ve set forward!

Management’s Proposals

Union Representation & Stewards: The company agreed to the limitation on stewards to 10 percent of the bargaining unit from our proposal earlier in the day, but added language in multiple places to rigidly enforce how stewards carry out their work. They specified that, outside a list of exceptions, all Union business is to be conducted off the clock, in non-work areas. We continue to have disagreements about paid time for bargaining future contracts, and about several responsibilities of stewards not permitted on the clock or in work areas. Our intention is for workflow to not be interrupted, while removing barriers to addressing issues when and where they occur.
Payroll Deduction of Dues & Fees: While we are close on this item, we remain divided over language related to agency fee payments. We expect to have something ready to propose at our next bargaining session.

Upcoming Dates

9/2: Labor Day Parade at the NYS Fair
9/9: Bargaining Session
9/15: September Members’ Meeting
9/30: Bargaining Session
10/1: Bargaining Session