Surprising no-one, Wizards of the Coast 'doesn't intend to voluntarily recognize' union efforts for the second time this year

Per the United Wizards of the Coast Union (UWOTC-CWA) account on X, WoTC is acting in an entirely unsurprising manner: "Yesterday, Wizards informed us that it doesn’t intend to voluntarily recognize the D&D or Studio X units of our union ahead of a vote. We remain committed to creating a workplace focused on wellness, transparency, and collaboration by winning our coming election."

A union composed of employees from the Magic: The Gathering Arena team unionised back in June of this year, giving WoTC until May to formally recognise it. Obviously, it didn't.

Later in the same month, WoTC sent physical letters to members of the company encouraging them not to go through with it on the vote—and while WoTC did technically adhere to the The National Labor Relations Act, it did also not-so-subtly imply that its current benefits would be "on the bargaining table for both parties to negotiate". These letters were also allegedly accompanied by daily emails to employees.

Basically, it should not come as a surprise that Wizards isn't intending to recognize the full United Wizards of the Coast Union—a coalition now formed of members in both the D&D team and Studio X (Magic: The Gathering's creative staff)—either.

In a statement sent to Wargamer, and circulated to employees before that, WoTC stated it was not a fan in the ways it is legally allowed to do so. That being, lots of circular talk about how everyone has the right to unionise:

"We are best able to keep building great games and a great place to work by working directly with employees, not through unions. In this regard, Wizards is not neutral on the question of unionization … in the end, we will respect the results of the election, no matter what our employees choose."

UWOTC-CWA is bargaining for "fair wages, career progression, and job security," as well as remote work protections and "sustainable workloads: We have been asked to do more work with less regard for our personal lives." Other concerns like healthcare, AI protections, and the ability to have legal ownership of creative work made outside of their jobs for WoTC.

As Wargamer itself is right to point out, UWOTC-CWA does have a strong lever to pull. Namely, that D&D and Magic: The Gathering are incredibly profitable. This earnings report shows that "Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming" raked in $568 million in operating profit over the past six months (before adjustments), while consumer products lost $62 million, and entertainment dragged just $23 million through the door.

In other words, if you're making most of your company's profit, you're in a prime position to negotiate with them. Unless your corporation decides to lay off 1,000 people, including those responsible for your biggest commercial success, again.