Wiki Workers United U.S. Branch Demands Voluntary Recognition from Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, Wiki Workers United U.S. (WWU-US)/Communications Workers of America (CWA) demanded voluntary recognition from the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization that hosts Wikipedia and sister projects. This request comes from a supermajority of union-eligible workers who have signed union authorization cards. WWU-US is organizing with the CWA to represent eligible U.S.-based workers.

WWU-US/CWA has set a deadline of Friday, July 24th, for the Wikimedia Foundation to respond to its request for voluntary recognition.

Recent events at the Wikimedia Foundation have drastically escalated worker concerns regarding transparency, trust, the organization’s future, and leadership’s commitment to the free knowledge movement. The Foundation’s workers call on the organization to uphold its stated values and recent public commitments supporting the right to form a union [1][2], giving workers a promised and long-deserved voice.

This announcement follows a similar request for voluntary recognition[3] made by WWU-UK, the UK branch of WWU, represented by the United Tech and Allied Workers (UTAW), a national branch of the Communication Workers Union (CWU). Together, the two branches reflect a growing movement among Wikimedia Foundation workers to establish collective bargaining through the legal frameworks available in their respective countries.

WWU-US/CWA also extends its sincere gratitude to the volunteer community. Over 1,000 volunteers and community members who have collectively made more than 15 million edits have publicly signed petitions supporting Wikimedia Foundation workers and affirming the importance of giving workers a meaningful voice in shaping the future of the movement[4][5]. The WWU Organizing Committee is deeply appreciative of this extraordinary demonstration of solidarity.

"We are hopeful that the Wikimedia Foundation will honor their stated values and quickly come to the table so that we can verify that an overwhelming majority support the union. We are proud to support this group of dedicated and talented workers. We are also deeply grateful for the strong solidarity of the volunteer community, the backbone of Wikipedia and its sister projects, that has pledged to stand shoulder to shoulder with these brave workers.” – Tim Dubnau, Organizing Director, Communications Workers of America

"We congratulate our colleagues in the United States on reaching this important milestone. While labour law differs between our countries, our shared goal is the same: ensuring Wikimedia Foundation workers have a meaningful voice in shaping their workplace." – John Chadfield, National Officer, Communication Workers Union

Wiki Workers United is a global solidarity union of Wikimedia Foundation workers committed to strengthening worker voice, transparency, equity, and shared stewardship. The WWU-US/CWA branch represents eligible U.S.-based workers seeking collective bargaining rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

For more information: https://wikiworkersunited.org

[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:BMeehan-WMF#Update_from_Bernadette_May_24
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Village_pump_(WMF)&diff=prev&oldid=1355455480 
[3] https://utaw.tech/news/wikipedia-recognition 
[4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Workers_United#Individuals 
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity#Signatures 

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion