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Wiki Workers United (WWU) announced on 5 August 2026 that the Wikimedia Foundation leadership had signed a stipulated agreement that will allow eligible U.S. Wikimedia staffers to vote for the formation of a WWU branch within the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The WWU statement said:
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.
WWU U.S. also expressed its thanks to the volunteer community for standing beside Wikimedia workers.
In the UK, negotiations on the precise scope of the bargaining unit – i.e., which UK workers would be represented through collective bargaining – are still ongoing. The WWU wishes to include managers, the WMF side is arguing that managers and those with access to confidential information should be excluded.
Jimmy Wales initially pushed back against the notion that the Wikimedia Foundation had hired union-busting lawyers. He subsequently corrected himself, explaining that he personally had been unaware of Littler Mendelson having been hired and considers the decision a mistake.
@Femke I was not aware when I said that no union busting law firms had been hired that Littler Mendelson had been hired. When I found out, I immediately emailed the WMF to say that I think it was a mistake and to recommend firing them immediately. As of today (the day after my 60th birthday, which I have been spending on vacation with my extended family) I do not know exactly when they were hired. Obviously I am unhappy about every aspect of that. Jimbo Wales (talk) 00:41, 9 August 2026 (UTC)
The exact timeline and scope of Littler Mendelson's involvement remains elusive to this day. On 6 August Wikimedia Foundation board member Lorenzo Losa was asked:
On 12 August, the same questions were put to Jimmy Wales, who has said he will ask in his next meeting with the WMF whether the Littler hiring date can be released. To date no further information has has been made public.
https://wikiworkersunited.org/announcements/
https://www.thewikipedian.net/p/paris-syndrome-wikimania-2026
https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:BMeehan-WMF&diff=prev&oldid=30901616
Raju Narisetti leaves WMF board
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