U.S.-based workers began organizing as a part of the broader Wiki Workers United global union campaign of Wikimedia Foundation workers committed to strengthening worker voice, transparency, equity, and shared stewardship.
“The recognition of our union’s first government-sanctioned bargaining unit is a huge milestone in our over ten-year journey to educate, agitate, and organize coworkers,” said Bryan Davis, a WWU organizing committee and WWU-US/CWA member. “We continue our petition for recognition in the U.K. and hope to see more jurisdiction-specific units call for voluntary recognition in the coming weeks and months. Solidarity will continue to drive our discussions, planning, and actions as we begin working on our collective goals for contract bargaining to support all WMF workers regardless of legal jurisdiction, job duty, or hours of employment.”
In July, U.S.-based workers demanded union recognition after a supermajority of them signed union authorization cards. When management refused to uphold the organization’s commitment to respect the rights of workers to freely choose union representation, workers persevered through a union election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). 81% of eligible voters cast ballots, and 92% of voters supported unionization.
“Today’s victory is a demonstration of the power of international solidarity,” said Decovan Rhem, President of CWA Local 9415. “WWU-US/CWA members organized across their workplaces and across the world, building support among coworkers internationally and among an incredible community of volunteers and wiki editors. Now, we will take the power our members have built to the bargaining table to negotiate a strong contract that gives Wikimedia workers the voice they have long deserved.”
WWU extends its sincere gratitude to the Wikimedia volunteer community. Over 2,000 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. This petition is the most supported petition in history on the English-language Wikipedia. The WWU Organizing Committee is deeply appreciative of this extraordinary demonstration of solidarity.
“Wikipedia has often been described as the ‘last good place on the Internet,’ staying free and open at a time when so many other sites decay from corporate greed. Often credited to its volunteer community alone, this couldn’t have happened without the tireless work of Wikimedia Foundation staff. Today, their US branch celebrates a well-deserved victory, and I am proud to be among the thousands of volunteer editors supporting the largest cause across the history of the English Wikipedia community. It is our responsibility to hold the Foundation behind Wikipedia’s continued existence responsible to embody the same values we fight for, namely, a fair and democratic internet,” said Chaotic Enby, a Wikipedia editor since 2021 with over 52,000 global edits.
“Today’s election result is a well-deserved victory not only for Wikimedia U.S. staff, but for everyone who believes in a free, democratic internet. I am proud to be among the 2,000 volunteer editors celebrating this achievement today,” said Shushugah, a volunteer Wikipedia editor since 2015 with over 14,000 global edits.
Members of 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), have also demanded union recognition.
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About CODE-CWA
The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is a union movement of thousands of workers fighting every single day to build the voice and power necessary to ensure the future of the tech, games, and digital industries in the United States and Canada. CODE-CWA is a project of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents hundreds of thousands of workers throughout tech, media, telecom, and other industries who stand together to fight for justice on the job and in our communities.
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For more information: https://wikiworkersunited.org
Media inquiries: info@wikiworkersunited.org, Sean Nesmith snesmith@cwa-union.org
]]>We, the WWU-UK branch wish to add some additional context, and explain we have moved to the statutory recognition process – as we had announced here on 10 August.
Timeline
On 24 June the request for voluntary recognition of the proposed UK bargaining unit was submitted, WMF/SG requested negotiation about that request, which we accepted on 7 July. Once agreed to, that period must last at least 20 working days.
As described on the government’s website, negotiations are for discussing “which employees are in the bargaining unit” and “whether the union should be recognised”. The email from the WMF executive stated that SG has requested to reduce the scope, and UTAW-CWU has not agreed. That is correct, but there is important context:
No substantive questions were received from SG throughout that 20-day period. Notably this included during the initial ACAS-mediated negotiation meeting. Therefore, on Thursday, 6 August (after the minimum negotiation period had elapsed), UTAW-CWU submitted an application to the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) to begin the statutory recognition process for WWU-UK. Safeguard only queried our inclusion of managers in the bargaining unit, late in the evening after Safeguard had been informed the statutory filing had been submitted. Furthermore, SG had been informed during the negotiation meeting held the previous week that this would occur. It was not a surprise. Importantly, opening the statutory process does not close the door on continuing the negotiations.
Scope
WMF/SG indeed have requested narrowing the scope of the proposed bargaining unit to exclude managers and those with access to confidential information. In other words, limiting which UK workers would be represented through collective bargaining. The justification given is that this would match the scope of the bargaining unit agreed for the USA branch (represented by CWA).
WWU wishes to support the widest possible scope of colleagues – for consistency and equity within our organisation. It is the international norm that managers can be members of unions, however, the USA is an outlier in that regard and does not legally permit management in their unions. Our USA Branch would request to include management in their scope if it were possible.
Meanwhile, the UK branch has proposed a bargaining unit covering all UK-based Wikimedia Foundation staff employed through Safeguard Global. We have proposed this so-called “wall to wall” scope intentionally:
It is what we agreed to in the anonymous vote that all UK staff participated in back in June (for whether to proceed with the UK unionisation request). In that vote, over 70% of all UK WMF staff participated and those votes were unanimously supportive. It included the following proposed eligibility:
All “requisition number” staff of the WMF who are employed in the UK are eligible to join the union, and all are eligible to participate in this vote. In practice this means: if you have a contract for working at the Wikimedia Foundation via Safeguard UK as the Employer of Record - you are eligible.
With regard to the other scope reduction, “employees with access to confidential information”: That includes any and all staff and therefore is a distinction without a difference. It has also never been mentioned by Safeguard.
What happens now
Our CAC application does not end the voluntary recognition process. As WMF leadership also noted the email, mediated discussions with Safeguard through ACAS can continue alongside the statutory process. We remain open to those discussions and would welcome reaching voluntary recognition promptly and constructively. If the parties cannot agree on the bargaining unit, then CAC can determine the appropriate bargaining unit as part of the statutory process.
This email is also an acknowledgement that the WMF is indeed a direct stakeholder in the UK unionisation process. We therefore reiterate the request for WMF leadership to attend the mediated ACAS discussions alongside their Safeguard Global representatives. This will speed up the process.
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The description of WMF employment conditions, which applies equally to employees in all countries at all levels, has this major disclaimer:
The Wikimedia Foundation reserves the right to modify the descriptions of benefits, policies and procedures in these Global Guidelines at any time without prior notification unless prohibited by applicable law.
We believe that, for a values-driven organisation, the standard for whether our employment conditions might unilaterally and immediately change, should be higher than merely not-illegal. We believe that all Wikimedia Foundation employees deserve a meaningful representation in the decisions that affect their working lives – regardless of their country, role, or level – and that doing so will bring stability to the organisation.
]]>The UK branch’s process towards recognition is continuing in parallel to our American colleagues, who are about to start postal voting for recognition. The CAC is an independent body that can both determine the appropriate bargaining unit and, if necessary, conduct a ballot of staff. Since we have a majority of staff who are already union members, this ballot may not be needed.
We remain open to continuing the voluntary recognition process via negotiations with SG facilitated by ACAS if those proceed in a timely and constructive manner. Starting the statutory recognition process ensures we can achieve recognition within a predictable timeframe.
]]>According to our agreement, ballots will be mailed out to eligible U.S. workers on August 11 and will be counted on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 2:00pm PDT at the San Francisco Regional NLRB Office. In order to be counted, ballots must be received in the regional office before the count.
We welcome management’s cooperation as an example of the Foundation putting into practice their public commitment to a speedy election process and to bargaining in good faith. We will do our part to continue this collaboration with leadership, in keeping with the spirit of our movement.
We believe that our union will strengthen the Wikimedia movement as a whole by collectively bargaining to codify our movement’s values in clear and enforceable workplace policies. We look forward to bolstering trust, transparency, and accountability within the Foundation.
The wiki way is to form one’s opinion based on reliable sources. Our FAQ is a good start, but we also suggest learning from thousands of unionized non-profit workers around the world that have already improved conditions in their workplaces and for the communities they serve!
Solidarity does not stop at national borders. We are organizing across jurisdictions with a common vision of global solidarity and a powerful collective voice. Our U.K. branch led the way, and workers globally are trusting and building on each other by exploring what collective representation looks like in their own countries.
We are profoundly grateful to the Wikimedia community for standing beside all Wikimedia workers, online or in person at Wikimania, and asking difficult questions of senior leadership. Your thoughtful conversation and extraordinary public expressions of solidarity have deeply moved us and strengthened our resolve.
To every Wikimedia Foundation worker: our union is here for you. We wholeheartedly believe that all of us stand to benefit from more engagement, more discussion, and more rights. Our union is for Wikimedia workers, by Wikimedia workers. Participation and solidarity are everything.
With the support of our global colleagues, more than a supermajority of eligible workers in the U.S. signed union authorization cards and are now ready and excited to win our union election!
We are proud of what all of us in the Wikimedia movement have built together, so let’s write the next chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation together: a chapter about partnership, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to each other.
In solidarity,
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For more information: https://wikiworkersunited.org
Media inquiries: info@wikiworkersunited.org
]]>We are deeply disappointed that the Wikimedia Foundation has taken the low road by declining our request for voluntary recognition, despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of employees have signed union authorization cards indicating support for the union. Thousands of workers across the tech and nonprofit sectors have achieved voluntary recognition through this “card check” method. Our demand of the Wikimedia Foundation was simply that they live up to their values and be the high-road employer that they purport to be. They refused.
While the Wikimedia Foundation touts to the public that they plan to take a neutral stance in our organizing efforts, they have already proven that not to be the case behind the scenes. When the Foundation rejected our request for voluntary recognition this week, they immediately sent out to employees and the public statements couched in classic union-busting rhetoric, rhetoric undoubtedly provided by outrageously expensive union-avoidance law firms. This insulting and wasteful use of Foundation resources is both an insult to Foundation employees and to the Free Knowledge Movement as a whole.
Insisting that our right to organize be adjudicated by the National Labor Relations Board is not a neutral choice; it has nothing to do with election procedures or employee choice. It has everything to do with delaying the process and stalling the vote in order to give time to the union busters to launch a potentially coercive anti-union campaign against Foundation employees. Nonetheless, we are proud of our colleagues for reaching this point, and we remain committed to securing our union through a traditional NLRB process.
CWA has published a press release.
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For more information: https://wikiworkersunited.org
Media inquiries: info@wikiworkersunited.org
]]>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 unionize (Bernadette Meehan, Stephen LaPorte), giving workers a promised and long-deserved voice.
This announcement follows a similar request for voluntary recognition 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 (Meta-Wiki, English Wikipedia). 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.
CWA has published a press release.
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For more information: https://wikiworkersunited.org
Media inquiries: info@wikiworkersunited.org
]]>As noted in the previous update, on Wednesday 24th June UTAW-CWU sent a letter to the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) and Safeguard Global (the WMF’s Employer of Record in the UK) requesting recognition of a bargaining unit that would represent all the WMF’s UK staff. They had 10 working days to respond and choose one of three standard options. Either to: voluntarily recognise this bargaining unit/union; reject recognition; or request negotiations.
On 7 July, UTAW-CWU were notified that Safeguard and the WMF had chosen the third option, and as such, we are now entering negotiations with mediation from ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) – a UK government body that assists with such matters. These negotiations aim to reach an agreement on the proposed bargaining unit, and will proceed over the next few weeks in accordance with standard practice. If voluntary recognition is not reached during these negotiations, we may then file for statutory recognition via CAC (the Central Arbitration Committee) – as the application requirements are already met.
We want to repeat our thanks to the volunteer community for your support. WMF staff will be attending Wikimania in Paris next week in person, including from the WWU UK Branch. Of note, there is a workers’ union meetup on Saturday. If you are also attending, come and say hello. We have stickers and badges to share!
]]>UTAW-CWU and WWU call on the Wikimedia Foundation, as the effective management of the global organisation, to act in good faith throughout the recognition process and to uphold the recent public support and commitments from its leadership affirming the rights of eligible staff to organise and form a union.
UTAW-CWU have published a CWU press release and a UTAW press release.
Enquiries to be directed to the CWU Press Officer, Marcus Barnett, at mbarnett@cwu.org.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all those who have chosen to sign WWU solidarity petitions on both Meta and on the English Wikipedia. These are community-initiated petitions, and the level of support shown gave us confidence to continue with our efforts to form a global solidarity union of WMF employees.
]]>As a pre-recognition and pre-contract solidarity union, we are currently focused on internal organizing efforts and protecting Foundation staff. Therefore, we cannot commit to responding to external inquiries at this time.
For Foundation staff who have been following these conversations and are interested in learning more or participating, organizing conversations are ongoing and there is space to join them.
A heartfelt thanks to all parties who share in WWU’s values and goals.
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