Community response to WMF layoffs and labor concerns

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From: Nemoralis <[email protected]>
To: [email protected], [email protected],
 [email protected], [email protected]
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Subject: Community response to WMF layoffs and labor concerns

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    <p>Fellow Wikimedians,</p>
    <p>Many of you have likely already seen the Wikimedia Foundation's
      announcement that the Community Tech team is being dissolved and
      that five engineers and one manager are losing their roles as part
      of a restructuring of the Community Wishlist process.</p>
    <p>The official explanation is that Community Tech will become a
      cross-team "program" rather than a dedicated team, and that this
      model will supposedly allow more teams to work on community
      wishes. However, many editors, functionaries, and technical
      contributors across Wikimedia projects have raised serious
      concerns about both the substance and timing of this decision.</p>
    <p>Several issues are driving alarm within the community:</p>
    <p>=E2=80=A2 The Community Tech team was one of the few WMF engineeri=
ng
      groups explicitly focused on community-requested technical work.<br=
>
      =E2=80=A2 The engineers affected include highly experienced contrib=
utors
      with deep institutional and community knowledge, including former
      stewards and longtime technical volunteers.<br>
      =E2=80=A2 WMF leadership has stated that this is not a budget reduc=
tion,
      which raises the question of why layoffs were necessary at all
      instead of reassignment.<br>
      =E2=80=A2 The restructuring was announced amid ongoing organizing e=
fforts
      connected to Wiki Workers United (WWU), leading many contributors
      to fear retaliation or union-busting behavior, regardless of WMF
      denials.<br>
      =E2=80=A2 There is currently little concrete information about
      accountability, staffing, or ownership under the new =E2=80=9Cprogr=
am=E2=80=9D
      structure.</p>
    <p>This is no longer being viewed by many contributors as merely an
      internal staffing change. It is increasingly seen as part of a
      broader pattern of disconnect between WMF leadership and the
      volunteer communities that build and maintain Wikimedia projects.</=
p>
    <p>In response, editors have begun organizing solidarity actions and
      a strike mandate petition expressing willingness to support Wiki
      Workers United if collective action becomes necessary.</p>
    <p>The petition is not itself a strike. It is a statement that
      contributors are prepared to stand in solidarity with Wikimedia
      workers and defend community accountability if requested.</p>
    <p>You can read the ongoing discussions here:</p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p><a class=3D"moz-txt-link-freetext" href=3D"https://meta.wikime=
dia.org/wiki/Talk:Community_Wishlist#May_20_update">https://meta.wikimedi=
a.org/wiki/Talk:Community_Wishlist#May_20_update</a></p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p><a class=3D"moz-txt-link-freetext" href=3D"https://w.wiki/Nt5V=
">https://w.wiki/Nt5V</a></p>
      </li>
    </ul>
    <p>If you are concerned about:</p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        <p>the future of community-driven technical development,</p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>the treatment of Wikimedia staff,</p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>possible anti-union retaliation,</p>
      </li>
      <li>
        <p>or the growing disconnect between WMF leadership and the
          editing community,</p>
      </li>
    </ul>
    <p>please consider joining the discussion, spreading awareness, and
      signing the solidarity petition.<br>
      <br>
      Take action: <a class=3D"moz-txt-link-freetext" href=3D"https://wik=
iworkersunited.org/take-action-community/">https://wikiworkersunited.org/=
take-action-community/</a><br>
      Sign the petition: <a class=3D"moz-txt-link-freetext" href=3D"https=
://w.wiki/Nt5n">https://w.wiki/Nt5n</a></p>
    <p>In solidarity,<br>
      Nemoralis</p>
    <br>
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