87% of eBay trading card experts "earn less than living wages" so the only option is to go on strike

TCG authentication is a vital part of the trading card ecosystem. This is especially true for collectors and players who want to honor their best cards. The lives of the people who authenticate cards are not easy. Earlier this month, one of the largest authentication centers went on a strike to demand higher wages and respect.

The Campaign to Organise Digital Workers in the Tech, Games, and Digital Industries, (CODE-CWA), announced that members of eBay’s authentication center in Syracuse will be on strike on 3 October as part of a demonstration for living wages. CODE-CWA tweeted that "the majority of eBay authentication center workers in Syracuse earn below a living wage for single people without children." "eBay's worth is almost $29 Billion."

The authentication centre in Syracuse processes thousands of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering Cards every day. Most of the work is done by authenticators who stand in one place for hours sorting through inspected cards. Giacona (via Polygon) says, "It can be pretty hard to stand in one place, sedentary for long periods of time." "Many of my coworkers suffer from sciatica." It hurts to not move more than it does to actually move.

Giacona reveals that she earns just $16.25 per hour. In a larger report from CODE-CWA it is revealed that this authentication centre's median wage is $18.25 an hour. 87% of the authentication centre workers in Syracuse earn less than a living wages. 78% of respondents reported feeling insecure financially due to low wages.

Financial insecurity has forced 66% of workers to rely on family, friends, or government assistance to survive. Many workers report that they have to put off buying groceries or getting medical care.

Workers have been trying to reach out to eBay for new agreements to improve wages, but it has been difficult. eBay told Polygon that when they began the bargaining, they agreed with the CWA to address non-economic issues before discussing economic ones like wages. "We still have a few non-economic issues to resolve before we can move on to economic discussions. We expect this to happen soon." This sounds like stalling, and I don't know what "soon", or any other information, means.

Megan Wheeler is another authenticator worker who says, "I put my heart and soul into my work." "And then to see them come back with so little, to hear that they say they care, but not show it. To go through something as wonderful as pregnancy, and prepare for a family and be worried about having to choose between my job and my family. It feels awful. It feels like it belongs in the past.

Many workers remain hopeful after a successful protest with Syracuse community members last Thursday. Syracuse TCG is one of the biggest employers in the region, so if their demands are met it could have a far-reaching benefit. Giacona believes that the project will enrich the community as well as the local economy. "That's what we hope."