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United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

unitedwizardsofthecoast.com

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Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#61

Post by Ferret7446 »

hungryhobbit wrote: post #46
josh_p wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m “uhm acshually”-ing a bit. The MLP cards aren’t legal in any format and Transformers, legal in commander yes, was a very small set. You can’t deny the popularity of the Final fantasy set. Selling that well indicates a desire. I don’t think the small secret lair releases deserve the hate. Wizards is still committed to making in-universe sets. The first novel in years was just published with the release of strixhav…

I think it's legit to criticize a game that was fantasy only (about MAGIC) for decades ... when it stopped being that.

A setting with planeswalkers is just asking for random "in universe" collabs. Same disease as multiverses.

Note to writers: yes, adding multi dimension shenanigans keeps your options open, but remember that limitation breeds creativity.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#63

Post by malmz »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #59
OkayPhysicist wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the otherhand, having a plethora of unions at a workplace weakens labor's bargaining power: A US union, by the nature of having a closed shop, has the power to destroy the business with a prolonged strike. Nobody wants that (capital's out their investment, labor's out their jobs), but it serves as the nuclear option from which the union's bargaining power is derived.

I think you are confusing terms. Closed (only members can even apply to work) shops were outlawed in the us in 1947. 24 states allow Union shops (workers must join the union after hire). In theory multiple unions could strike together. Alternatively, dissenting members of a single union can keep working. In both systems striking is the union leverage.

Multiple unions striking is not just theoretical but the norm i Europe. There was a large strike against Tesla in Sweden. Many unions across the supply chain joined the strike in solidarity.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#64

Post by Ekaros »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #15
Avicebron wrote: post #4

Hopefully they can push back against some of these collabs. I have yet to meet someone who is thrilled with playing a deck with Post Malone, TMNT, or The Walking Dead in it. The best you get is indifference.

I don't think current WOTC actually cares if people play MTG at all, only if they continue buying cards. It has become a collectible more than a game

It is just weird how much of it is treated as investment in medium term or simply gambling. Well gambling has always been part in sense. But now for purely monetary gain. Well in current financial market maybe it works, but still feels just so weird.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#65

Post by denotes »

hungryhobbit wrote: post #46
josh_p wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m “uhm acshually”-ing a bit. The MLP cards aren’t legal in any format and Transformers, legal in commander yes, was a very small set. You can’t deny the popularity of the Final fantasy set. Selling that well indicates a desire. I don’t think the small secret lair releases deserve the hate. Wizards is still committed to making in-universe sets. The first novel in years was just published with the release of strixhav…

I think it's legit to criticize a game that was fantasy only (about MAGIC) for decades ... when it stopped being that.

Richard Garfield recently stated in an interview with The Professor that he took heat back in the day for pushing to have goblins with guns. Playing with the world aspect of the game’s design is as old as the game itself!I agree that it’s fair for anyone to criticize a divergence from a preferred game atmosphere. I also personally don’t mind, because looking at images on cardboard has never felt like an immersive experience. I like the game because of the strategy - so long as the cards tell some story with the graphics I don’t much care what that story is.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#66

Post by triceratops »

charcircuit wrote: post #62
triceratops wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you care if the workers who make your cards are unionized or not?

Ideologies spread like viruses. If you don't keep them contained, they will spread.

It's free speech.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#67

Post by d4mi3n »

busterarm wrote: post #57
d4mi3n wrote: post #10

Worked in tech for a long time before I got to WOTC. Went through a lot of layoffs and short term executive decisions that invariably leave anyone without preferred stock out to dry. Wish I had a union then. Glad to have one now. Edit: Words are my own. I am not a rep of WOTC or Hasbro.

Did you not know what you were getting into? Most folks I know in Seattle have pretty commonly talked about wotc being an absolutely abysmal company to work for going all the way back to the early 00s. The only reason to be there was for the love and the buying access/perks. That access & perks are long gone. Had a friend whose dream job was to work on D&D. He's got a fairly high profile in the TTRPG space and develo…

I knew the publishing and game industry weren’t known for good treatment of their labor, but WOTC had a fair reputation in that regard. This has apparently degraded prior to my joining the company and has continued to do so. A big motivator for organizing for many was the steady erosion of pay, benefits, and the lauded perks despite a workload that has and continues to grow tremendously.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#68

Post by OkayPhysicist »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #59
OkayPhysicist wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the otherhand, having a plethora of unions at a workplace weakens labor's bargaining power: A US union, by the nature of having a closed shop, has the power to destroy the business with a prolonged strike. Nobody wants that (capital's out their investment, labor's out their jobs), but it serves as the nuclear option from which the union's bargaining power is derived.

I think you are confusing terms. Closed (only members can even apply to work) shops were outlawed in the us in 1947. 24 states allow Union shops (workers must join the union after hire). In theory multiple unions could strike together. Alternatively, dissenting members of a single union can keep working. In both systems striking is the union leverage.

Ah, I missed the difference between union shops and closed shops.

But that alternative of dissenting unions not striking is exactly the loss of leverage that I was talking about.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#69

Post by OkayPhysicist »

annzabelle wrote: post #52
OkayPhysicist wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the otherhand, having a plethora of unions at a workplace weakens labor's bargaining power: A US union, by the nature of having a closed shop, has the power to destroy the business with a prolonged strike. Nobody wants that (capital's out their investment, labor's out their jobs), but it serves as the nuclear option from which the union's bargaining power is derived.

This makes US unions very all or nothing, and excessive demands from unions (particularly RE: pensions) have driven many businesses out of business and bankrupted many municipalities. My understanding is German and Scandinavian unions are much more collaborative and are unlikely to force demands that bankrupt companies. This is why unions have such a negative connotation in the US. A lot of people see municipal gover…

Unions have a negative connotation in the US because the there is a lot of money in giving them one. The US union structure arose because they predate any legal protections. You don't need the law to protect you for a strike to kill a company, it just (mostly) prevents the spiraling violence that often would ensue.

Re: United Wizards of the Coast recognized by NLRB

#70

Post by danaris »

legitster wrote: post #12

Anytime this comes up, it's worth pointing out how deeply weird US unionization is compared to the broader world. There is now a union ... just for Wizards of the Coast employees. UWOTC-CWA now has a monopoly on negotiating for WotC employees. Dues flow up to the CWA, but members don't necessarily get the benefit of bargaining industry-wide. There is also no choice within WotC for what union represents you. It's stil…

> the NLRA is in desperate need of reform by Congress and political actors across the US have stymied progress.

To be clear, even leaving aside the current DC fiasco, Congress as a whole, and the Republican Party most especially, actively want the situation to be this bad or much, much worse.

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