Re: [All-affiliates] Community response to WMF layoffs and labor concerns
James Heilman via Wikimedia-l <[email protected]> Fri, 22 May 2026 19:03:47 +0200
| Newsgroups | gmane.org.wikimedia.foundation,gmane.science.linguistics.wikipedia.technical,gmane.org.wikimedia.community.announce |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <CAF1en7Xnc8b41of6DgovKkn_b4fd-_r_KxMcbEfTdWF0s3Ctfw@mail.gmail.com> |
--===============6935869099940620745== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000dc0aac06526b0352" --000000000000dc0aac06526b0352 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I always thought we should double the community tech team. One for Wikipedia and one for the sister projects. I guess the question is should the community try to take on this work? With movement funds of course. J Sent from Gmail Mobile On Thu, May 21, 2026 at 22:30 Nemoralis via All-affiliates < [email protected]> wrote: > Fellow Wikimedians, > > Many of you have likely already seen the Wikimedia Foundation's > announcement that the Community Tech team is being dissolved and that fiv= e > engineers and one manager are losing their roles as part of a restructuri= ng > of the Community Wishlist process. > > The official explanation is that Community Tech will become a cross-team > "program" rather than a dedicated team, and that this model will supposed= ly > 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. > > Several issues are driving alarm within the community: > > =E2=80=A2 The Community Tech team was one of the few WMF engineering grou= ps > explicitly focused on community-requested technical work. > =E2=80=A2 The engineers affected include highly experienced contributors = with deep > institutional and community knowledge, including former stewards and > longtime technical volunteers. > =E2=80=A2 WMF leadership has stated that this is not a budget reduction, = which > raises the question of why layoffs were necessary at all instead of > reassignment. > =E2=80=A2 The restructuring was announced amid ongoing organizing efforts > connected to Wiki Workers United (WWU), leading many contributors to fear > retaliation or union-busting behavior, regardless of WMF denials. > =E2=80=A2 There is currently little concrete information about accountabi= lity, > staffing, or ownership under the new =E2=80=9Cprogram=E2=80=9D structure. > > 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 buil= d > and maintain Wikimedia projects. > > In response, editors have begun organizing solidarity actions and a strik= e > mandate petition expressing willingness to support Wiki Workers United if > collective action becomes necessary. > > 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. > > You can read the ongoing discussions here: > > - > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Community_Wishlist#May_20_update > - > > https://w.wiki/Nt5V > > If you are concerned about: > > - > > the future of community-driven technical development, > - > > the treatment of Wikimedia staff, > - > > possible anti-union retaliation, > - > > or the growing disconnect between WMF leadership and the editing > community, > > please consider joining the discussion, spreading awareness, and signing > the solidarity petition. > > Take action: https://wikiworkersunited.org/take-action-community/ > Sign the petition: https://w.wiki/Nt5n > > In solidarity, > Nemoralis > > _______________________________________________ > All-affiliates mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to all-affiliates-leave-RusutVdil2icGmH+5r0DM0B+6BGkLq7r@public.gmane.org > --000000000000dc0aac06526b0352 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"auto">I always thought we should double the community tech team= . One for Wikipedia and one for the sister projects.</div><div dir=3D"auto"= ><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">I guess the question is should the community t= ry to take on this work? With movement funds of course.</div><div dir=3D"au= to"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">J</div><div><br clear=3D"all"><br clear=3D"= all"><div><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_signature" data-smartmail=3D"gmai= l_signature">Sent from Gmail Mobile</div></div></div><div><br><div class=3D= "gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">O= n Thu, May 21, 2026 at 22:30 Nemoralis via All-affiliates <<a href=3D"ma= ilto:[email protected]">[email protected]= </a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:= 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">= <u></u> =20 =20 =20 <div> <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 engineering groups explicitly focused on community-requested technical work.<br> =E2=80=A2 The engineers affected include highly experienced contribut= ors 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 reducti= on, 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 eff= orts 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=9Cprogram= =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 href=3D"https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Community_Wishli= st#May_20_update" target=3D"_blank">https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Co= mmunity_Wishlist#May_20_update</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href=3D"https://w.wiki/Nt5V" target=3D"_blank">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 href=3D"https://wikiworkersunited.org/take-action-com= munity/" target=3D"_blank">https://wikiworkersunited.org/take-action-commun= ity/</a><br> Sign the petition: <a href=3D"https://w.wiki/Nt5n" target=3D"_blank">= https://w.wiki/Nt5n</a></p> <p>In solidarity,<br> Nemoralis</p> <br> </div> _______________________________________________<br> All-affiliates mailing list -- <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]= edia.org" target=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a><br> To unsubscribe send an email to <a href=3D"mailto:all-affiliates-leave@list= s.wikimedia.org" target=3D"_blank">all-affiliates-leave-RusutVdil2icGmH+5r0DM0B+6BGkLq7r@public.gmane.org= </a><br> </blockquote></div></div> --000000000000dc0aac06526b0352-- --===============6935869099940620745== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/XS3S7YGSMRQ27F2N3LB55UMTTAANID6S/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave-RusutVdil2icGmH+5r0DM0B+6BGkLq7r@public.gmane.org --===============6935869099940620745==--