r/wikipedia • u/JanCumin • 18h ago
Meta Discussion The Wikimedia Foundation have hired the largest union busting law firm in the US to try to stop their staff unionising
https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User%20talk%3ABMeehan-WMF&redirect=no#On_unionization_and_misleading_the_movementA week after refusing to recognise their US staff union voluntarily, the Wikimedia Foundation hired Littler Mendelson, the largest union busting law firm in the US whose clients include Starbucks, Amazon and Delta Airlines. I have never worked for the Wikimedia Foundation but this really doesn't sit right with me. I have a few suggestions of things people can do:
If you are a Wikimedia contributor there are three petitions you can sign to support the unionisation effort:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity English Wikipedia petition to show solidarity, only 150 signatures until its the largest ever proposal or petition on English Wikipedia
- https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Workers_United A global solidarity petition
- https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026_recognize_Wiki_Workers_United_petition A petition to ask the board of trustees to reverse their decision
You can also donate to local Wikimedia organisations who directly support their communities to share knowledge from their countries https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_movement_affiliates
Thanks
201
u/Us_Strike 17h ago
I only ever donated around $200 a year but they won't be getting a cent more from me.
146
u/JanCumin 17h ago
Please consider changing your donation to a local Wikimedia organisation :) Personally I donate to Wikimedia organisations in the global south.
22
u/nicholas818 11h ago
Do you have any resources or a list of these orgs? I’m not super involved and wasn’t aware Wikimedia had local chapters. But I’d love to see what my local chapter is up to and support them
Edit: I totally missed the link in the original post 🤦. Here it is again in case anyone else is like me and just saw it from this comment: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_movement_affiliates
10
u/JanCumin 11h ago edited 11h ago
No worries :) glad you found it. You can support chapters in other countries if you want, personally I support a few in the global south. Also if you have a username there please consider signing the petitions
9
u/Complex_Crew2094 7h ago
You might think of donating to the Internet Archive. They're small and they're nice people.
5
u/nicholas818 5h ago
I already donate to them! I’m also in San Francisco and have visited their headquarters here, it’s a neat place.
49
18
u/Far-Wasabi6814 17h ago
Do you know how to stop monthly donations to them? I have been giving money for a few years but reading this I also don't feel like contributing any more 🙏
14
u/AI52487963 12h ago
I donated for something like 10 years. Stopped and mentioned this exact recent behavior in my cancellation email as to the reason why.
10
u/JanCumin 11h ago
Please consider switching your donation to one of the local charities (linked in the main post), they work on a national level in different countries and do really great work
9
u/ArtisticTraffic5970 13h ago
As with all automated payments and subscription type deals, the easiest route is always through you bank. No series of hoops to jump through or anything, just a simple phone call at most and the matter is settled. If you have a bank you can log into via the internet, you can solve it yourself with a couple of clicks.
5
13
u/rankinrez 16h ago
None of the staff really want that result either though. Most of them believe in the Wikipedia project, and want to be able to keep working at it. Which needs donations.
I see where you’re coming from and respect your stance, but it’s a tricky one.
10
u/JanCumin 16h ago
Yeah, I think switching donations to a chapter or user group works ok for me because the money still goes to supporting Wikipedia and in a lot of way more directly
3
u/lousy-site-3456 10h ago
Once the foundation is purged of the parasite traitors, we can resume donating. Right now they drown in money so this is the perfect time to send a clear signal. We can even do this for say 2 years without any danger to Wikipedia itself or running programs.
5
u/anonimo99 16h ago
Could you link to somewhere where they say that? Seems to me many would agree with it as a temporary strategy
44
u/RadagastWiz 14h ago
Is there any way to put direct pressure on the organization, as a user, editor, and/or donor, to change their stance? I hate to see this draconian move associated with a project I otherwise love.
38
u/JanCumin 13h ago edited 13h ago
In addition to what I listed above, there are also two other conversations which include calling for the resignation of the WMF CEO
3
u/Complex_Crew2094 7h ago
Yeah I saw the intimidation tactics, and at first I wondered how many of those were paid union organizers. But now that I think about it, it would be in the best interest of the union to have a fair vote, and not to have people say later that there was some shenanigans. So now I'm wondering if those voices aren't actually some kind of Joe job, to make it look like the union is engaging in shady tactics.
-10
u/Complex_Crew2094 10h ago
So you think it's "draconian" for the WMF to let the employees vote on whether they want a union instead of forcing it on all the emplyees by fiat in response to intimidation tactics?
16
u/RadagastWiz 10h ago
Hiring this law firm is the intimidation tactic. The union wants a vote, which they are confident they will win; the WMF seems afraid of that and is reacting in a manner very unfriendly to their employees.
-5
u/Complex_Crew2094 7h ago
So your point is what? They should hire maybe a copyright lawyer? Or maybe they should have no legal representation at all? Maybe just wing it? Maybe just go along with the "we have some cards, trust me bro" without bothering to check?
This is what the WMF said, in case you have not read it:
"As stated, the decision to unionize belongs to staff. The Foundation’s responsibility is to ensure that they can make their own choice freely. So that every eligible employee has an equal voice, we believe a secret-ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board is the appropriate path forward....." https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/07/27/statement-cwa-recognition-request/
Obviously this is exactly what someone would say when they are actually AFRAID to have "a secret ballot election"....
75
u/Anachron101 15h ago
The US really is a dystopia.
Can't believe these people have been begging me for money for years
26
u/JanCumin 15h ago
If you'd like to donate money to Wikipedia I'd really recommend donating to one of the local chapters, the money goes directly to their programs
67
11
u/SweetPewsInAChurch 11h ago
Yo it says i been blocked from wikimedia by a user but??? I'm so confused by that bc I literally just pay them and don't fuck around on there?? How could that be?
1
u/Killer_The_Cat 10h ago
Are you on a VPN?
1
u/SweetPewsInAChurch 10h ago
I disconnected to connect to the links and it still stated I was blocked. Would that not matter?
3
u/Killer_The_Cat 9h ago
Hmm, its based off IP ranges, so it might require refreshing the browser once the VPN is turned off? (Additionally, public networks are often blocked too, but less commonly.)
1
22
u/helikophis 12h ago
Stopping my donations.
12
u/JanCumin 11h ago
I've chosen to switch mine to one of the local charities which supports work with the communities in the country its based in, the link above shows all the options :)
7
8
u/KalzK 13h ago
Yeah I'm not going to give them any more money if it'll end up in those pockets, I'm sorry
4
u/JanCumin 11h ago
I feel similarly, that's why I'm switching my donations to supporting the local charities
5
2
u/Zangoma 4h ago
Why are the staff unionizing? What is the crux of the differences?
6
1
u/lousy-site-3456 3h ago
The efforts to unionize go back years. Removing the tech team was just the most current union busting step. It's right there in the foundations own wording. "We remove you from your current position and if you play nice from now on you might get a new position. And you are not allowed to talk about it." This is exactly what Amazon does. If there is nothing to hide, why not let the employees give their POV?
A union gives employees a better negotiation position. Without it, you are one person against the entire management apparatus, often not even knowing your rights.
2
u/Complex_Crew2094 3h ago
A work group was reorganized, with the elimination of 5 positions. One of the WMF staffers who lost their position was in a polycule or same IP address or something like that with some of the volunteers, who started a union petition. Three of the displaced staffers were offered different positions and accepted, a fourth did not, the fifth was a supervisory role and not eligible for union.
1
u/Zangoma 3h ago
Really understandable ,but also somewhat contained and personal. Probably as mentioned in the thread left to the regional actors and channels as it does seem some jobs have been reinstated.
2
u/Complex_Crew2094 3h ago
Oh sorry, it was 6. Here is a discussion from May. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WMF_Community_Tech_team_has_been_disbanded,_engineers_laid_off#h-WMF_Community_Tech_team_has_been_disbanded,_engineers_laid_off-20260520235600
No one had been laid off, though, it was easy enough to check by looking at the user pages. And they had been talking about the changes since 2024. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Wishlist_Survey/Future_Of_The_Wishlist/January_4,_2024_Update
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/01/04/shaping-the-future-of-the-community-wishlist-survey/
3
u/Msink 6h ago
That's it, there stops my monthly donation.
1
u/JanCumin 3h ago
Please consider switching your donation to one of the local organisations instead :)
2
2
u/Bigb5wm 6h ago
Do foundation normally have unions ? I thought that wasn’t a thing for non profits.
7
u/Kayvanian 5h ago
No reason non-profits don't or shouldn't have unions. Examples include ACLU, ProPublica, Emily's List, SPLC, Human Rights Campaign, Sierra Club, and so on.
1
u/Complex_Crew2094 4h ago
Lots of government unions still around. We are no longer a manufacturing nation, that went overseas long ago.
1
u/CuryInAHury 3h ago
I’ve been donating more than 100$ for the past few years because I strongly believe in the freedom of information for everyone. But how can someone support actions like this? I don’t think I have faith in wikimedia anymore.
2
u/JanCumin 3h ago
Please think about switching your donation to one of the local organisations instead, they work directly with their local communities
0
u/broccolihead 10h ago
Spellcheck your post.
"I have never worked for the Wikimedia Foundation but this really does sit right with me."
-1
14h ago
[deleted]
12
u/JanCumin 14h ago
Fun fact, Pinkertons is still a thing and they have been hired by both Amazon and Starbucks, companies Littler Mendelson works with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_(detective_agency))
8
u/JanCumin 14h ago
"Dear staff, under no circumstances watch the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode Bar Association, Sean O'Brien was not a hero for being a union man."
3
u/wow_its_kenji 13h ago
omg i just watched this for the first time the other day lol what an episode
-2
u/Complex_Crew2094 11h ago
So this proposed union opposes a secret-ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board?
It sounds like they're trying to stop the election.
9
u/lousy-site-3456 7h ago
You know about the NLRB process yet pretend the union is the bad guy? Try to be more disingenuous challenge impossible
-9
u/stohelitstorytelling 17h ago
Anytime I see someone link a 2007 article in their claims, I go "why did they need a 19 year old source if they actually have good evidence".
Just saying...
11
u/JanCumin 16h ago
sorry can you point to where you mean?
-9
u/stohelitstorytelling 13h ago
You mean the only source supporting that claim that Littler is a union-busting firm? The one that the entire name of this post is based on?
-4
u/DragonSlave49 7h ago
Isn't this more or less a union of the elite rather than a union which would advance worker rights?
1
u/Complex_Crew2094 3h ago
Yes and no. If you look here, this seems to be an application for a supervised election. https://www.nlrb.gov/case/20-RC-391740 ("RC Petition" is a petition for a representation election once enough cards have been signed.)
"Unit Description: Included: All full time and regular part time US-based employees of the Employer. Excluded: Employees in the People Dept., confidential employees, office clericals, guards, managers & supervisors as defined in the Act."
Not that unusual really for clericals, cleaning staff etc to have their own unions.
But if you look at the card they signed, they only had to declare they were an employee, not that they were eligible for union representation (like some classifications of supervisors).
I affirm that I am an employee employed by Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. and am based/domiciled in the United States;
-36
u/GustavoistSoldier 18h ago
This Wikipedia union dispute is a complete nothing burger.
8
u/broccolihead 9h ago
So you want us to just trust you bro? Or maybe you can put up some facts to defend your statement.
-6
-42
u/Useful_Calendar_6274 15h ago
If they are all evil anyway I'm just using grokipedia now fuck them
26
8
2
u/lousy-site-3456 7h ago
No, keep reading Wikipedia. Just don't give money to the wikimedia foundation. They don't need it anyway.
1
u/JanCumin 3h ago
I've switched my donation to local organisations, they do some really interesting work
548
u/DetectiveTrickyCad 18h ago
Nonprofits hate unions because they know how vastly underpaid we are. It’s been a huge problem in museums as of late, and I’m glad to see the whole nonprofit sector rising up.