For good or for ill, there is without a doubt more Magic (The Gathering) in the world than ever before: more Magic sets released each year; more forums for crafting decks; more tournaments; more card drops; an ever-present opponent to play against thanks to the digital version of the game, Magic: The Gathering Arena; and more Magic nights at local game shops.
As Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast bring in record-breaking revenue through continuously expanding the commodification of our hobbies, workers at New York City’s local game shops have taken a stand by unionizing. In doing so, they are fighting the persistent anti-union narrative that to do work one is passionate about is adequate compensation unto itself.
In mid-2023, workers at the Upper East Side location of Hex&Co. approached management with a list of concerns: baristas were still paid only the minimum tipped wage, employees faced abuse from managers, and safety issues were often neglected. Management dismissed these concerns and jokingly told employees that they should “unionize if they wanted to be heard so badly.” Soon after, with the help of Workers United and the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, they did just that, forming Tabletop Workers United (TWU).
That tabletop game workers would unionize in the same parent union as Starbucks workers seems natural. As customer-facing service industry jobs, they are traditionally associated with low pay and paltry raises, often lazily dismissed as summer jobs for students or “dead ends.” But in the postindustrial United States, these sorts of jobs are becoming increasingly common.
Instead of situating these struggles within the long history of labor organizing, mainstream narratives sometimes insinuate that…
Auteur: Tim Thomas
