Wiki Workers United

Wiki Workers United
Founded2026 (2026)
TypeTrade union
Locations
    • United States
    • United Kingdom
Websitewikiworkersunited.org Edit this at Wikidata

In 2026, employees of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) in the US and UK, with the support of volunteer editors of the Wikimedia movement, requested that trade unions representing them, called Wiki Workers United or WWU, be recognised by WMF.[1][2] WMF did not voluntarily recognise either US or UK requests, and hired the union-busting firm Littler Mendelson to represent it in a unionisation vote called by WWU US. Wikimedia volunteers criticised WMF's actions.[3][4][5]

Background

The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American nonprofit organisation headquartered in San Francisco, California[6] that employs 700 workers in 44 countries.[7] It is most known for hosting Wikipedia, one of the world's most visited websites. It also hosts 14 related open collaboration projects, and supports the development of MediaWiki, the wiki software that underpins them all.[8][9][10] As of June 2022 the WMF reported $239 million in net assets. It was expected to raise $174 million in revenue in the 2023/2024 fiscal year.[11]

Employer opposition to unions has been common in the United States since the 19th century. In cases of illegal interference, such as unfair labour practices, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has limited mechanisms to enforce the law under the National Labor Relations Act – which codifies worker rights. Unlike the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the NLRB cannot impose fines.[12] Employees in a workplace can form a union if a majority sign union cards or vote in a supervised election. Union density (the ratio of union to non-union workers) was low in the US in the early 2020s. Several union actions in 2023 attracted public interest.[13][14] According to labour sociologist Joshua Mayor, unionisation efforts sometimes fail not because workers are against unions, but because workers do not believe they can win.[15]

Organizing

Wiki Workers United formed in early 2026.[16] In May, WMF disbanded the Community Tech team shortly after the dismissal of prominent union-supporter Brooke Vibber, one of the architects of the MediaWiki software.[16][1]

On 24 June, United Kingdom (UK) WMF employees were the first country-based group to seek union recognition under the Wiki Workers United (WWU) umbrella, with the support of the Communication Workers Union.[17] The UK has the second highest number of staff after the United States.

Number of signers of the petition over time

A month later, the United States (US) staff launched their own voluntary union recognition from WMF. The labor union is supported by the Communications Workers of America. By 24 July, over 1,190 volunteer editors had signed a petition, pledging to go on a solidarity strike, should Wiki Workers United call for one.[2] Tactics discussed for a possible volunteer editor strike ranged from blocking donation banners to limiting editorial maintenance by not removing spam and ordinary vandalism.[3]

Sample ballot sent by the NLRB ahead of the election

On 27 July, WMF stated that it would not voluntarily recognise the United States union. It stated that the union would need to pursue a formal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election procedure instead.

Accompanying its announcement, WMF published an FAQ stating that it had heard dissenting voices and referred to benefits already provided to employees. According to Der Standard, the talking point about existing employee benefits is common among anti-union employers.[18] 404 Media noted that the statement used "very carefully-worded language common among companies and organisations that have fought against unionisation".[4] According to Der Standard, Wikipedia community members were "extremely angry" (German: die Kommentatoren äußerst ungehalten) with WMF's 27 July statement.[18]

On 28 July, WWU US stated that it had lodged a request for an NLRB ballot, alleging that WMF had used "typical union-busting tactics" and describing the WMF's use of resources as "insulting and expensive" by its hiring of the union-busting legal firm Littler Mendelson to represent it in the NLRB ballot.[5]

Reactions

The activities aimed at unionisation and the responses attracted international reporting.[19] On 29 May 2026, the Polish tech media service Telepolis described the threatened strike as a "serious conflict" that could "significantly" lower Wikipedia's quality.[3] LiFO saw the WMF's refusal of voluntary recognition as a paradox, in that "an institution based on the idea that communities know how to organise themselves" asked for the "will of its workers" to be assessed a "second, institutional" time. On 28 July, LiFO described the conflict as a question not solvable by "just a citation": "if knowledge is a public good, who has a say in how the work behind it is organised?" (Greek: αν η γνώση είναι κοινό αγαθό, ποιος έχει φωνή στον τρόπο που οργανώνεται η εργασία πίσω από αυτήν)[20]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sato, Mia (24 June 2026). "UK staff at the foundation that runs Wikipedia seeks union recognition". The Verge. Archived from the original on 26 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 Jackson, Ella (24 July 2026). "Staff at the San Francisco-Based Foundation Behind Wikipedia Demand Union Recognition | KQED". KQED Inc. Archived from the original on 26 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Banasiak, Przemysław (29 May 2026). "Wikipedia w kryzysie. Setki redaktorów grożą strajkiem" [Wikipedia crisis. Hundreds of editors threaten to strike]. www.telepolis.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 Koebler, Jason (27 July 2026). "Wikimedia Will Not Voluntarily Recognize Union a Supermajority of Its Workers Want". 404 Media. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 Nino Grasso (4 August 2026). "Oltre mille firme non bastano: Wikimedia dice no al sindacato interno" [More than a thousand signatures are not enough: Wikimedia says not to an in-house union]. Hardware Upgrade (in Italian). Wikidata Q140915997. Archived from the original on 5 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Hanson, Jarice (2016). The Social Media Revolution: An Economic Encyclopedia of Friending, Following, Texting, and Connecting. ABC-CLIO. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-61069-768-2.
  7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Questions_for_Bernadette_Meehan_regarding_the_WMF%27s_recognition_of_Wiki_Workers_United.webm
  8. ↑ Jacobs, Julia (8 April 2019). "Wikipedia Isn't Officially a Social Network. But the Harassment Can Get Ugly". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Cohen, Noam (16 March 2021). "Wikipedia Is Finally Asking Big Tech to Pay Up". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  10. ↑ Culliford, Elizabeth (2 February 2021). "Exclusive: Wikipedia launches new global rules to combat site abuses". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Orlowski, Andrew (28 August 2023). "Wikipedia should focus on content creation – not social justice campaigns". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  12. ↑ Rhinehart, Lynn; McNicholas, Celine (22 April 2021). "Shortchanged—weak Anti-Retaliation Provisions in the National Labor Relations Act Cost Workers Billions". Economic Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Hull, Dana; Eidelson, Josh (11 January 2024). "Tesla Boosts Pay for Fremont Factory Workers Whom the UAW Wants to Unionize". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  14. ↑ Shierholz, Heidi; McNicholas, Celine; Poydock, Margaret; Sherer, Jennifer (23 January 2024). "Workers Want Unions, But the Latest Data Point to Obstacles in Their Path: Private-Sector Unionization Rose by More Than a Quarter Million in 2023, While Unionization in State and Local Governments Fell". Economic Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  15. ↑ Scheiber, Noam (2 March 2024). "Big Labor Gamble: Push to Unionize Every U.S. Auto Plant". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  16. 1 2 Knop, Dirk (28 May 2026). "Unionization at Wikimedia: Community protest after layoffs". heise online. Archived from the original on 28 May 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Sheera, Sophia (25 June 2026). "Wikipedia Workers in the UK Move to Unionise Amid Feud Over Sackings". Novara Media. Novara Media.
  18. 1 2 Hannah Krause (30 July 2026). "Wikimedia Foundation möchte Gewerkschaft nicht freiwillig anerkennen" [Wikimedia Foundation does not want to voluntarily recognize union]. Der Standard (in German). Wikidata Q140937915. Archived from the original on 8 August 2026. In einer angehängten FAQ-Sektion verweist die Organisation außerdem darauf, dass man von abweichenden Stimmen und offenen Fragen in der Belegschaft gehört habe. Wie von Arbeitgebern, die der Gründung einer Gewerkschaft kritisch gegenüberstehen, bekannt, wird zudem angeführt, welche Zusatzleistungen man seinen Angestellten bereits jetzt biete. ... In einem Wiki-Forum zu der Causa zeigen sich die Kommentatoren äußerst ungehalten. ... 'Alle, die an der Verweigerung der freiwilligen Anerkennung beteiligt waren, sollten in Schande zurücktreten oder entlassen werden', schreibt ein Wikipedia-Redakteur.
  19. ↑ "ウィキメディア財団の従業員が労働環境の承認を求めて経営陣に書簡を送付 - GIGAZINE". GIGAZINE (in Japanese). 25 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Το ίδρυμα της Wikipedia αρνείται την άμεση αναγνώριση του σωματείου των εργαζομένων της" [Wikipedia Foundation refuses immediate recognition of its employees' union]. LiFO (in Greek). 28 July 2026. Wikidata Q140911980. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026.
  • The petition in favour of a solidarity strike
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.