Hi Katherine,
2017-10-19 23:19 GMT+02:00 Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org:
[...]
We are committed to working with the new Wikimédia France conseil d’administration (governing board) to support the French community as they work to address and resolve these and other outstanding issues. The Wikimedia Foundation and the new leadership of Wikimédia France are already cooperating to address the governance-related concerns raised by the volunteer Funds Dissemination Committee in the first half of 2017. As part of this work, we have encouraged them to review how they will independently handle claims of harassment in the future. The Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimédia France share a common goal: a healthy, welcoming, respectful, inclusive Wikimedia community in France.
I know I am not alone in my dismay for how these events have unfolded. Many dedicated, good-faith members of the French community, including current community members and present and former Wikimédia France board and staff members, have experienced distress and anxiety over recent months. Those outside of the community have watched with dismay as our peers and friends have found themselves disoriented, distressed, alienated, or at odds with one another. And yet we also know that many in France now feel a renewed sense of purpose for building the healthy and welcoming community we all desire.
As the representative of the local branch of the labor union ASSO-Solidaires at Wikimédia France, I wanted to thank you and the WMF staff members who took part in the site visit in Paris in July (namely Katy Love, Winifred Olliff, Stephen Laporte and James Baldwin) for hearing the distress of the staff members at a time when Wikimédia France's board plainly refused to discuss with the staff.
I also wanted to confirm that things are getting better with the new board elected in September.
I cannot speak about what my coworkers went through without asking them first, but I can share an example from my own story: in February, I was issued a « rappel à l'ordre » (warning) by the former direction and board, accusing me of disloyalty to the chapter because I had a girlfriend. It was cancelled this month by the new board, and this is a huge relief to me.
Best regards, Sylvain.