Wizards of the Coast declines to recognise MTG Arena union 

• Over 30,000 people have signed a public petition backing the union.
• Union members claim management responded to their efforts through the press, not directly to workers.
• The union says it holds signatures from a super-majority of the Arena team.

The team behind Magic: The Gathering Arena have confirmed that Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro failed to meet a May 1st deadline to voluntarily recognise their union.

Workers affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, who have formed a new group known as United Wizards of the Coast, claimed that management responded to their unionisation letter only through the press, offering no direct reply despite receiving signatures from a super-majority of the Arena team.

“In our letter to management this past Monday, we called on Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro to take the high road and voluntarily recognise our union by Friday, May 1st. That deadline has now come and gone, with no direct response from the company," said the union in a statement.

“Management claims to be committed to ensuring every person is heard, valued and supported. However, when we spoke up about our desire to unionise, they responded only to the press."

Pressure mounts

The union maintained that recognition remains a matter of when, not if, pointing to over 30,000 signatures on a public petition and support from players, content creators and the broader Magic community as evidence that momentum sits firmly on their side.

Workers stated they remain open to voluntary recognition ahead of the forthcoming NLRB election, which they expect to be held within weeks, while reaffirming their goal of reaching the bargaining table to improve conditions for both staff and players.

“We are confident that we are going to win recognition of this union; it's only a question of time. We look forward now towards the NLRB election, which we expect to be held within the coming weeks."

Wizards of the Coast has not issued a direct public statement in response to the union's letter or its deadline.