An Open Letter to TCG Player
I felt compelled to write this letter as talk of unionizing has become public and posted several places on social media. My husband in fact did not ask me to write it and has not really asked me to feel one way or another about the unionizing that is happening. The TLDR version is as the wife of one of your warehouse employees you have always gone above and beyond to make me feel like part of a community. My husband has loved his job from day one. It truly seems to be a great place to work. I truly do not believe TCG Player needs a union.
When my husband first started working for TCG player I firmly believed he was getting to be part of something amazing. He was volunteering, he was participating in community held clubs and events, he was making friends, and he was enjoying his place of employment. I joked that it felt like he had joined a cult, because suddenly everything was TCG TCG TCG. It was tiresome at times, but who doesn’t want their husband to truly enjoy their job? The benefits? I am a previous state employee…and I can honestly say their benefits rivaled state benefits WITHOUT a union, just because they have a forward-thinking leader. My husband met this leader in a chance meeting a work, and hearing how down to Earth he is, how accessible he is melted my heart. Chedy truly #goesbeyond. He offers his employees unlimited PTO, stock options, paid holidays, very affordable healthcare options, dental, vision, life insurance, the list goes on and on. Beyond that though the flexibility was remarkable. He got this job shortly after we found out we were pregnant. Hearing he was going to be eligible for PTO and flexibility for doctors’ appointments, as well as an overly generous paternity leave package was so comforting. It made a tumultuous pregnancy feel easy compared to what I was preparing myself for with my husband starting a new job.
Unfortunately, my daughter’s birth was not an easy one. I nearly died, found myself in the ICU and hospital for an extended period of time, and became diagnosed with severe PTSD. This led to time off needed for my husband beyond the set paternity leave by the state. Outside of work though we heard from his team lead and many of his coworkers during his time off just to check in. Several of his coworkers attended our wedding and met out new daughter. The community at TCG Player has always been something to speak of, but they really put their money where their mouth is. As I have needed more support from my husband, they have adjusted his work schedule, offered paid time off, been flexible with appointment times. They are always asking, “how can we help?”
As a former state employee in human resources I have both seen the need for a union, and seen employees abuse their employer because of the support of a union. The benefits, flexibility, and heart that management has shown at TCG Player from the get-go has been amazing. Sure, layoffs happened in October. It was a SCARY time. We didn’t know…was he going to have a job at the end of the day. You know what? New York is an at will employment state and that fear can happen at any job…even ones with a union. Chedy personally met with employees post layoffs to reassure the employees left and apologize for the layoffs happening in the first place. We knew he truly cared. It certainly changed the mood in the warehouse, and I believe at TCG Player for quite some time. Even attending the holiday party in December did not match the mood from the previous year. Chedy acknowledged this, again apologizing.
Bottom line. I do not want my husband to pay union dues and bring home less money for benefits he is already receiving at TCG Player. I do not want management to feel on the defensive, when they already do such a great job for employees. I do not want management to feel like they cannot acknowledge individual circumstances because of a union contract. I want my husband to be able to easily adjust his schedule and have an employer that can be flexibility with individual situations.
TCG Player has a #communityfor all, even the families of their employees.
Thank you Chedy, Mariya, Aaron, Kyle, gosh the names go on and on of all the people who have done things for this family. You are appreciated.
Sincerely,
A TCG Player Wifey
