Wikimedia rejects card-check union, hires Littler Mendelson to fight NLRB vote

Wiki Workers United U.S. asked the Wikimedia Foundation on July 20 to voluntarily recognize its union after a supermajority of staff signed union cards. The Foundation declined on July 27, insisting instead on a secret-ballot election run by the National Labor Relations Board. The union read that as a stalling tactic: the delay before a formal vote gives an employer room to run an anti-union campaign, and WWU announced on July 28 it would file for an NLRB election anyway. Jimmy Wales defended the secret-ballot demand on the Wikimedia-l list, arguing card-check pressures staff and predicting they will vote to unionize regardless.

The sharpest point of contention is legal counsel. Community members flagged the WMF’s decade-long relationship with Jones Day, a firm notorious for aggressive union-busting, though that work has centered on trademark and brand matters. The Foundation ultimately confirmed it retained Littler Mendelson, a firm with an equally strong union-avoidance reputation—undercutting the WMF’s public claim of neutrality. Community reaction has been largely hostile: an existing solidarity petition has drawn over 1,200 signatures, with a newer petition urging the board to recognize the union directly.

Separately, the WMF board proposed markedly stricter eligibility rules for Board of Trustees candidates, prompted by two disqualifications in the 2025 selection. The new criteria require at least two years of governance or community experience within the past six years, effectively barring ordinary community members who don’t already hold office, alongside baseline requirements like a four-year-old account, English fluency, and a pre-onboarding module. Critics see it as a move that consolidates power among existing insiders.