Re: WMF executives decision not to voluntarily recognize the union

Is this the first wiki org that has unionized?

It can be confusing the first time it happens in a given circle (as some
recent posts highlighted).  But any decision by staff on this front seems
reasonable to me and in line with shared principles.

What is the timeline for holding a vote?

Gnangarra wrote:
> Nowhere where I've worked has had a full 100% unionised staff,
> some only a very small portion and that doesn't harm the business either.

Right.  Here are some examples of nonprofit unionization
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unionization_in_the_nonprofit_sector>.  Other
examples close to home include the University of California
<https://www.techpolicy.press/we-just-formed-the-largest-tech-union-in-america-heres-how-we-did-it/>
tech
union, and the Free Software Foundation
<https://www.fsf.org/news/update-on-work-to-improve-governance-at-the-fsf>
.

SJ



On Thu, Aug 6, 2026 at 12:09 AM Gnangarra via Wikimedia-l <
[email protected]> wrote:

> I've been reading and listening to these back and forth discussions and
> for the life of me can't comprehend why the WMF leadership is so scared of
> the staff forming a union. I should roll things backa little during my 40
> years of working life in Australia Unions have always played an important
> role and worked well with employees, yes disputes do arise but they are
> always resolved through collaboration and compromise.  For most of my life
> I've worked in a broad stroke of industries related to transport, yes I've
> been a knuckle dragging truck driver.  Nowhere where I've worked has had a
> full 100% unionised staff, some only a very small portion and that doesn't
> harm the business either.  The benefits unions bring in helping address
> safety as well ensuring that minimum services are maintained even during
> disruptions has been the key.
>
> While many of us are volunteers, we all depend on WMF staff performing
> vital tasks that keep the movement's capacity to function and grow. They
> deserve our support too.  Leadership is not about forcing ideology, its
> about recognising opportunities that present themselves and reacting to
> gain further benefits.  The WMF has been presented with a great opportunity
> to build a cohesive workforce that no longer needs to undermine each other
> to advance, the community gains a group of people working collaboratively
> creating the solid foundation we will need as everyone faces the very
> dynamic unbalanced future we find ourselves in.  The staff benefit from the
> stability of employment and clear opportunities to grow within themselves
> as they help us as volunteers to grow much needed capacity, nothing
> enables taking a chance to grow more than knowing that risk doesn't mean
> losing your job. We need staff that can support volunteers taking a risk,
> not locking us into the status quo because they fear for their own future.
>
> Over my 20 odd years of volunteering I've worked with many staff members
> across the movement, most if not all of them are now friends. We dont get
> the servers and software developments without the tech team, dont get trust
> & safety protections and reform efforts without the legal team, dont get to
> know what is happening across the globe without a comms team, and we dont
> get to amazing events like Wikimania without the staff who work in the back
> rooms writing letters, talking with venues, answering the million questions
> every event has.   In these last 20 years one thing has always stood out is
> the CEO's who listened to the volunteer community, took the advice of that
> same collective experience then ran with it even with their own twist and
> modifications have all left a lasting success for our movement.
>
> For what its worth this knuckle dragging truck driving dinosaur has spent
> a long time looking up, looking for leadership, and its been the bright
> lights that lead not those hiding in the shadows and throwing barriers onto
> the road.
>
> On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 at 10:59, Pine W via Wikimedia-l <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> While I lack bandwidth to get into all of the nuances of this, I too am
>> wondering about the involvement of this particular law firm. Perhaps
>> someone can explain why, of all possible firms, this firm was chosen. That
>> choice seems an unnecessary provocation, even if it was not ill-intentioned.
>>
>> I am not taking a side one way or another on the question of
>> unionization. However, I note the amount of emotion, attention, and
>> distraction associated with this issue, and I am concerned about the amount
>> of time and money being spent on this that could be spent on other
>> important things, such as https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Next_25. Also,
>> I note that the WMF seems to be over a month late with announcing a
>> finalized version of its 2026-2027 Annual Plan, and there remain unanswered
>> questions on the Annual Plan talk page, and no one from the Board has
>> responded to my comment on these matters here:
>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=30848159.
>> And I also note the amount of time and attention that has been spent to
>> date on
>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Updating_the_ecosystem_of_Wikimedia_organizations,
>> only to have the version proposed here get many responses expressing
>> concern about
>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Updating_the_ecosystem_of_Wikimedia_organizations/Recognition_and_Funding_for_Movement_Organizations.
>> And I also recall concerns regarding how CommTech was handled.
>>
>> I hope that the Board will act prudently to stabilize the organization
>> and get it moving somewhat cohesively in a constructive direction. The
>> recent degree of disruption should be unnecessary, and seems to me to have
>> become a strategic liability.
>>
>> Pine🌲
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Boodarwun
> Gnangarra
> 'ngany dabakarn koorliny arn boodjera dardon nlangan Nyungar koortabodjar'
>
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-- 
Samuel Klein          @metasj           w:user:sj          +1 617 529 4266

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