Two tabletop game teams at Wizards of the Coast are trying to join the same union that recently won a fight at the company’s digital card game division. The move puts the tabletop side of Wizards’ business into a similar position as the MTG Arena team, which formed United Wizards of the Coast (UWOTC-CWA) in June after a successful union drive.
The Studio X team, which runs tabletop Magic: The Gathering, Duel Masters, and the creative staff behind both games, and the Dungeons & Dragons team, which handles Dungeons & Dragons and D&D Beyond, are now seeking to affiliate with UWOTC-CWA, an affiliation of the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The announcement came today on the UWOTC-CWA website, which cited “respect and dignity” as the reason workers are pushing for unionization.
The Affiliation and Its Demands
CWA is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing around 700,000 members in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The affiliation means the new teams would join the existing unit rather than form their own separate union.
The workers cite fair wages, career progression, job security, protection from AI, better healthcare access, and remote work protections among their demands. The announcement on the UWOTC-CWA website framed the push as a matter of basic treatment: “We deserve to be treated with all the respect and dignity that entails.”
Studio X manages the tabletop Magic: The Gathering creative team, game designers, product management, and Magic R&D. Duel Masters also falls under Studio X’s purview. The Dungeons & Dragons team handles the flagship role-playing game and its companion digital service.
The timing is notable. The MTG Arena team’s union drive succeeded in June, and the new tabletop push follows closely behind.
How the Process Works Now
UWOTC-CWA is giving WotC and Hasbro one week to voluntarily recognize the union. That is a few more days than the MTG Arena team offered this summer when it pushed for recognition.
If recognition fails, workers will hold an NLRB election. They need 50 percent plus one of votes cast to force WotC to bargain in good faith over working conditions. The process mirrors the path the MTG Arena team took, though the new teams are starting from scratch.
WotC responded to the MTG Arena team within three days when that group filed its initial paperwork. The company said it had received the filing and would respond through appropriate channels.
The Company’s Response So Far
WotC then hired legal counsel from Fisher & Phillips LLP, a law firm known for labor relations work and helping companies stay union-free. The firm attempted to dissuade workers from joining the union.
The firm’s specialty is keeping workplaces non-union, and its involvement signals that WotC intends to fight this effort rather than accept it quickly.
Why the Workers Are Pushing
Workers cite several specific grievances in their demands. Fair wages and career progression speak to compensation and advancement within the company. Job security and protection from AI address fears about automation and corporate restructuring. Healthcare access and remote work protections speak to quality of life issues.
The workers are also behind the majority of Hasbro’s profits. That fact complicates the company’s position: the very people driving its financial success are asking for better terms.
The announcement on the UWOTC-CWA website made the stakes explicit. By framing the push as a matter of respect and dignity, workers are making a moral argument alongside an economic one.
What Happens Next
The one-week window begins now. After that, the workers will hold an NLRB election if WotC does not recognize the union voluntarily.
An NLRB election requires a majority of votes cast, not a majority of all eligible workers. That threshold can be reached even if some workers abstain. The election would force WotC to bargain in good faith over working conditions.
The MTG Arena team’s path shows how this could play out. The Arena team filed, waited for a response, and eventually secured recognition through the NLRB process. The tabletop teams are following the same playbook.
The Industry Context
Wizards of the Coast is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hasbro. The company produces tabletop games, trading cards, and digital services. Its flagship products are Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.
The union drive at MTG Arena set a precedent. Now the tabletop teams are trying to apply that precedent to their own jobs. The shared affiliation with UWOTC-CWA means the two groups will work together if both succeed.
The affiliation also means the new teams benefit from the existing union’s resources and experience. They are not starting from scratch, which gives them a stronger position than the MTG Arena team had when it began.
The Timeline
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| MTG Arena team forms UWOTC-CWA | June |
| Studio X and Dungeons & Dragons teams announce intent to affiliate | Today |
| UWOTC-CWA gives WotC one week to recognize | Now |
| NLRB election triggered if recognition fails | After one week |
Our View
The workers have a clear path and a strong case. They are seeking fair wages, career progression, job security, protection from AI, better healthcare access, and remote work protections. Those are reasonable demands for anyone who spends their days building beloved games.
The company has shown how it responds to these efforts. It hires counsel known for keeping workplaces union-free and attempts to dissuade workers from joining. That is a consistent approach.
The workers deserve respect and dignity. They are asking for it in the most direct way possible: through a union. The company has chosen to oppose that request rather than accept it.
This is a straightforward test of power. The workers have organized, stated their demands, and laid out a clear path forward. The company has chosen to oppose them. The coming weeks will show which side holds the stronger hand.
The election threshold is 50 percent plus one of votes cast. That is a high bar, but it is achievable. If the workers meet it, WotC will be forced to bargain.
The paper supports workers organizing to secure fair conditions. That is a principle, not a political position. It applies to every worker, everywhere, and it applies to the people building Magic cards and Dungeons & Dragons modules.
The fight is now joined. The workers have made their case. The company has made its position clear. The election will settle it.
The election threshold is 50 percent plus one of votes cast. That is a high bar, but it is achievable. If the workers meet it, WotC will be forced to bargain.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively, and is against any attempt to use licensing or compliance requirements to freeze smaller tabletop teams out of joining a union. Here, the workers at Wizards of the Coast are organizing without asking for special permission from anyone, and the company has responded by hiring counsel whose whole practice is keeping workplaces free of unions. That is the kind of concentration of power the paper opposes.
The demands are simple: fair wages, career progression, job security, protection from AI, better healthcare access, and remote work protections. The workers are not asking for anything unusual. They are asking for respect and dignity, and they are using the most direct means available to get it.
The paper wants WotC to recognize the union voluntarily within the one-week window. Voluntary recognition avoids the cost and delay of an NLRB election. The company has shown how it responds to organizing efforts, and the paper hopes it will choose a quicker path this time.
Source material: “Tabletop Magic, D&D Teams Intend To Join Union,” Star City Games.
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