Bargaining Update #8 – 1/9/2024

Snapshot Summary

  • 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.

Full Report

On January 9th, we had our eighth bargaining session to continue negotiating our first contract. Our Committee for this session consisted of workers Bob Guy, Ethan Salerius, Briana Thomas, and CWA Staff Representatives Mike Garry, and Debora Hayes.

We are still in the process of bargaining the non-economic aspects of our first contract. Our bargaining team has been working hard to get through non-economic bargaining as swiftly as possible, while at the same time bargaining for the best possible contract for our bargaining unit. Despite the fact that there are many open proposals that the company and our Union have yet to reach agreement on, this session was mainly focused on the open issues that have affected our bargaining unit. 

In order to get our first contract, we still need the active support of our members! If you haven’t signed our Unity Pledge, follow this link to let TCGplayer and eBay know that you stand with your Bargaining Committee, and that you demand a strong, fair contract NOW! 
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/show-ebay-were-united-for-a-fair-contract/

Open Issues

  • Accommodations: We spoke very plainly about how our coworkers were being affected by the changes to the accommodations process and the sudden removal of several workers' accommodations. We requested that the affected individuals have their accommodations reinstated while they go through the process of applying for their renewal. The company’s bargaining team told us that there were “only seven” affected individuals and that they would “see what they can do” about reinstating the removed accommodations.
  • eIP Bonus: eBay will be paying out the eIP bonus on February 16th, 2024. Under the Memorandum of Understanding that we reached, each bargaining unit employee will receive the full company portion of the bonus, and a flat 100% of the individual performance component. This means that everyone should get their full target payout, which for everyone in the bargaining unit should be 6% of their earned income from last year. Reaching a Memorandum of Understanding is a huge victory for our Union. By signing this MoU the company is admitting that they should not be making unilateral changes to the terms and conditions of our labor without coming to a mutual agreement with our Union.
  • Payroll & PTO Balance: Many people in the bargaining unit have been affected by payroll issues and/or incorrect PTO balances since OD1 in August. Recently there were issues with holiday pay. We brought up the fact that there are still unresolved payroll and PTO balance issues and the company's bargaining team denied that there are any open issues. We requested a list of everyone who has been affected by Payroll and PTO balance issues.
  • COVID-19 Policy: Management presented their planned changes to COVID-19 leave and vaccine reaction pay. Many members of the bargaining unit have had questions regarding these policies as COVID banks did not replenish for the new year. We expressed that we need to review the changes and intend to discuss them at the next bargaining session.

Discussed Proposals

  • Health & Safety: TCGplayer’s Safety Squad is a program with a positive track record that we want to see continue moving into the future. Our proposal would see this program continue in its current form, but ensure that members of our Union are represented among its membership.
  • Non-Discrimination: Our Union and TCGplayer leadership share an understanding that there is no place for discrimination in the workplace. Where we continue to disagree is on the role of labor arbitrators in the resolution process for any claim of discrimination.
  • Lockers: Our conversation with the company about locker use covered several concerns held by both sides. We reached an understanding that lockers are unequivocally property of the company, with a limited expectation of privacy for the employees using them. We also reached an understanding that the company will have an employee present for any searches of their locker, or a union representative when the employee is physically unavailable. We are currently waiting for the company’s team to respond with a new draft for this proposal.
  • Good Standing: We continued to discuss with the company what constitutes an employee in Good Standing, and what can cause the loss of this status. We continue to have disagreements about some of the language the company included in this proposal, including a provision that would guarantee the company’s right to assign mandatory overtime.

Upcoming Dates

  • 1/21: Members’ Meeting
  • 1/26: Bargaining Session
  • 2/6: Bargaining Session
  • 2/13: Bargaining Session
  • 2/18: Members’ Meeting
  • 3/5: Bargaining Session
  • 3/24: Members’ Meeting