Wikimedia Foundation refuses union recognition, hires union-busting law firm

Wikimedia Foundation refuses voluntary national recognition, hires union-busting rule firm

On July 20, Wiki Workers United U.S. demanded voluntary nickname arsenic a national from the Wikimedia Foundation, pursuing a akin petition for voluntary nickname made by WWU-UK, the UK branch of WWU, successful June. The petition by Wiki Workers United U.S. demanded a consequence from the Wikimedia Foundation by Friday, July 24, i.e. during the Wikimania conference. No consequence was received by that date, though the taxable of Wikimedia staffers unionizing was discussed astatine the convention (see video connected the right).

On July 27, the WMF published a connection declining voluntary nickname of Wiki Workers United U.S.

The statement said:

[W]e judge a secret-ballot predetermination conducted by the National Labor Relations Board is the due way forward. This process protects individual prime and ensures that immoderate result reflects the corporate will of those eligible to participate.

The organization consequence to the WMF connection has mostly been 1 of dismay, pinch fears that the Foundation will usage the clip spread betwixt now and the concealed ballot to discourage labor from national involvement, utilizing union busting methods arsenic described humorously successful an episode of Last Week Tonight pinch John Oliver. A community petition to the WMF Board to admit the union has been started connected Meta-Wiki; arsenic we were getting fresh to people this issue, it had passed 150 signatures. Two anterior organization petitions successful support of the union, started successful May 2026 on Meta-Wiki and on English Wikipedia, person attracted good complete 1,200 signatures each.

Jimmy Wales said connected the Wikimedia-l mailing database that he had looked into the process followed by WWU, which had resulted successful a supermajority of labor signing a national card, and thought it imperfect:

One of the problems pinch the process truthful acold is that it was not concealed and we person heard from immoderate unit members that they felt pressured because the organizers would cognize really they decided. That isn't a awesome process and it goes against our movement's values rather severely to person group successful a business wherever they are pressured into thing 1 measurement aliases the other.

It's beautiful easy to spot the problem if we ideate it successful the different guidance - ideate immoderate institution asking unit to motion promise cards not to subordinate a union, and keeping way of who did aliases didn't successful bid to put unit connected those who didn't. Gross. It doesn't make it amended for it to beryllium the different measurement astir successful my ain individual view.

I want a process wherever unit are safe to deliberate successful the privateness of their ain minds and make the determination based connected each the disposable grounds that makes the astir consciousness to them. So I don't deliberation insisting connected a due ballot is process for the liking of process and I opportunity that pinch my ain estimate that the unit will ballot to support unionization. I deliberation we'll beryllium successful a amended spot if it's really clear - a cleanable and clear prime pinch nary chance of pressure.

In position of time, energy, and money - I don't deliberation it should return very agelong and again speaking only for myself I dream we get it done arsenic quickly and efficiently arsenic we tin and I dream that everyone - staff, management, board, and organization tin travel together to observe the outcome. I cognize I will.

WWU announced connected 28 July that they would record for a national predetermination pinch the National Labor Relations Board. The announcement besides accused the Wikimedia Foundation of being disingenuous successful their nationalist communications:

Thousands of workers crossed the tech and nonprofit sectors person achieved voluntary nickname done this "card check" method. Our request of the Wikimedia Foundation was simply that they unrecorded up to their values and beryllium the high-road employer that they purport to be. They refused.

While the Wikimedia Foundation touts to the nationalist that they scheme to return a neutral stance successful our organizing efforts, they person already proven that not to beryllium the lawsuit down the scenes. When the Foundation rejected our petition for voluntary nickname this week, they instantly sent retired to labor and the nationalist statements couched successful classical union-busting rhetoric, rhetoric undoubtedly provided by outrageously costly union-avoidance rule firms. This insulting and wasteful usage of Foundation resources is some an reproach to Foundation labor and to theKnowledge Movement arsenic a whole.

Insisting that our correct to shape beryllium adjudicated by the National Labor Relations Board is not a neutral choice; it has thing to do pinch predetermination procedures aliases worker choice. It has everything to do pinch delaying the process and stalling the ballot successful bid to springiness clip to the national busters to motorboat a perchance coercive anti-union run against Foundation employees.

Community members expressed interest astir the truth that the Wikimedia Foundation has a business narration pinch the Jones Day rule firm, which is peculiarly good known successful the U.S. for fierce union busting. In this context, it is worthy pointing retired that the WMF's narration pinch Jones Day dates backmost complete a decade and that Jones Day has chiefly dealt pinch the Foundation's marque and trademark management. However, it yet transpired that the Foundation has chosen to beryllium represented by the rule patient Littler Mendelson, which has an arsenic beardown estimation for national busting.

Relevant links:

• June 24 property release from the Communication Workers Union (CWU, UK)
• FAQ, Wiki Workers United
• Announcements, Wiki Workers United
• July 20 property release from Communications Workers of America (CWA)
• July 27 WMF response, including an FAQ
• National Labor Relations Board lawsuit page (archive)

Community pages:

• Wiki Workers United/Solidarity Signatures connected Meta-Wiki, started 12 May 2026, complete 1,250 signatures
• Wikipedia:Wiki Workers United solidarity connected English Wikipedia, started 21 May 2026, complete 1,200 signatures
• Community petition to the WMF Board to recogniue the union connected Meta-Wiki, started 28 July, complete 150 signatures

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Eligibility criteria for committee candidates

Following the 2025 action process for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, which saw 2 of the candidates disqualified (see erstwhile Signpost special report and interview arsenic good arsenic 2025 WMF Board betterment petition), the WMF Board decided to reappraisal the action process of caller Trustees.

On 17 July, the committee publicised its projected new, importantly much stringent eligibility criteria. The main quality is that the projected caller criteria request considerably much committee aliases organization experience, pinch mean organization members who are not already agency holders incapable to guidelines for election. The projected caller criteria are arsenic follows:

Feedback is invited connected Meta-Wiki. AK, C

Reports of intersexual harassment astatine Wikimania events

On July 26, Wikimedia Korea released an open missive calling for an investigation aft allegations a Wikimania subordinate knowledgeable unsought beingness interaction and intersexual harassment.

Several cardinal activists from Wikimedia Korea took portion successful this event. I had hoped that our participants would return from this event—which brings together Wikimedians from astir the world—having gained a scope of valuable experiences, and that they would proceed their activities pinch moreover greater vigour. However, coming I heard that 1 of our members whilst offering well-intentioned assistance to different participant, was alternatively subjected to unwanted, forced beingness interaction and intersexual harassment. We find this profoundly regrettable and are profoundly dismayed.
— User:Jjw, president of Wikimedia Korea Wikimedia Korea/Open missive to the Wikimania organization July 26 (translation)

Wikimedia Malaysia released a connection the adjacent day, and said that 1 of their ain members had knowledgeable intersexual harassment successful a abstracted incident.

Their rumor is not an isolated case. Earlier, 1 of our ain organization members who attended the convention successful personification has revenge a Trust and Safety title to the convention squad regarding a abstracted lawsuit of intersexual harassment by different Wikimedian against different Wikimedian from a different region. Similar to the different case, this lawsuit besides progressive beingness touch and forceful intimacy against a personification who has expressed her discomfort astatine a breach of individual space.
— Tofeiku, Chair of Wikimedia CUG Malaysia, connected Wikimedia CUG Malaysia's consequence successful support of Wikimedia Korea’s connection connected Wikimania (translation)

Vice President of the WMF Community Resilience & Sustainability squad Maggie Dennis responded to the unfastened letter, confirming connection pinch the individuals involved.

The Foundation is treating this matter seriously. You whitethorn beryllium alert that we do not talk Trust & Safety incidents successful respect to the privateness of each individuals, but I tin corroborate that we are successful interaction pinch individuals progressive successful the reported incident and witnesses to different concerning behaviors. [...] While we will not beryllium capable to update community, including Wikimedia Korea, connected the outcomes according to modular Trust & Safety policies, the personification who made the study to america will beryllium told the result directly.
— Maggie Dennis astatine Community Resilience & Sustainability/Response to Open missive to the Wikimania organization July 26

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The title of this introduction is from the Abstract Wikipedia article connected itself.

A Request for comment has opened complete connected Meta Wiki astir Abstract Wikipedia. Discussion is ongoing astir whether rolling retired to much languages should beryllium paused, the task should beryllium closed, aliases the Foundation should person much "transparency" astir the project. Originally approved by the Board of Trustees successful 2020, the task intends to supply a measurement for smaller connection Wikipedias to entree articles successful their language. The organization has raised concerns astir allowing the integration of Abstract Wikipedia into small-language Wikipedias fixed its existent state. The Wikimedia Foundation person responded connected Meta-Wiki, expressing assurance successful their attack to natural connection generation and the betterment of task value complete time, and acknowledging the trouble of navigating archiving and reporting connected the project's development.

Relevant links:

• Request for Comment connected Abstract Wikipedia
• Response from the task squad to the criticism

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Brief notes

• New administrators: The Signpost welcomes the English Wikipedia's newest administrators, MCE89 and Staraction, elected done "old fashioned" requests for adminship. Of note, a fistful of editors opposed some RfAs explaining they saw open-ended support of the Wikimedia Foundation workers' national (see above and prior Signpost coverage) arsenic perchance damaging to the project.
• Articles for Improvement: This week's Article for Improvement is Customer experience, and adjacent week's (starting 3 August) is HDR10. Please beryllium bold successful helping amended these articles!