What is the IWW? The preamble to the IWW constitution is as good a place to start as any: quote:The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life. History of the IWW The IWW was founded in Chicago in 1905. It was marked by a staunch opposition to capitalism and particularly the AFL's compromising with capital, as well as its craft union model excluding unskilled workers. The IWW was notable for being open to women, minorities, and immigrants at a time when that was highly unusual, if not outright illegal. Some notable early wobblies, as IWW members are known, include Eugene Debs, Big Bill Haywood, Daniel De Leon, Joe Hill, Lucy Parsons, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and Helen Keller. Notable current wobblies include Noam Chomsky and Tom Morello. I'm hoping someone smarter than me will post some more history I will edit in later, but let's talk about : The IWW Today There are a few thousand IWW members scattered throughout the US and Canada, a few thousand in the UK and Ireland, and some folks scattered all over the world. While a far cry from the 150,000 members the IWW had at its peak, the union has survived political splits and heavy-handed political repression during the Red Scare and continues to punch above its weight. Notable current IWW campaigns and activities include:
In addition, wobblies have taken the organizing lessons they've learned into workplaces around the world, even without public campaigns. For instance, my current workplace will likely never see a public campaign like any of those listed above, but I have organized with my coworkers around various demands, and we won the dismissal of a serial sexual harasser who had been working there for years before I started. So You Want To Join The IWW Well hello there, fellow worker! The only membership requirements are:
You can join regardless of the industry you work in, whether you're a member of another union or not, or even whether your profession is legal or not. (For instance, IU690 is the industrial union covering all sex workers.) In order to join, I recommend you go here and look up the closest branch to you, then contact them directly. You can also join and pay your dues entirely online, but building relationships with other members of the union is what really makes a difference. If you don't have any branches in your area, you can join as an at-large member, but to be honest that isn't the best experience in the world at the moment. You'll also want to see what industrial union you fit into. Dues are based on income and range from a minimum of $6 a month to $33 a month for the highly paid, self loathing computer touchers among us (hi!) There's a surprising number of goon wobblies out there already, who will be happy to answer any questions/shitpost endlessly into the ether. Let's bring to birth a new world in the ashes of the old! woke kaczynski has issued a correction as of 02:52 on Sep 10, 2018 |
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 02:29 |
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# ? May 9, 2024 01:58 |
Some assorted good readings:quote:Establishing yourself as an organizer in a new workplace and becoming a social leader —Wobblyism: Revolutionary Unionism for Today woke kaczynski has issued a correction as of 23:04 on Sep 9, 2018 |
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 02:29 |
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Extreme respect to the IWW. Holding on as an uncompromisingly socialist union through the periods they've existed through is always an amazing feat, and now that legacy is here when we can really use it again.
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 02:55 |
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I became a wobbly last month, though I really hate how my remote location at the moment kind of isolates me from any chapters. Gonna keep an eye on this thread.
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 02:58 |
extremely my poo poo
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 03:05 |
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anyone here with the houston chapter? ive tried contacting them before but never got a response
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 03:10 |
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Is this the new PSL thread?
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 03:29 |
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Dreddout posted:Is this the new PSL thread? yes
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 22:38 |
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seems to be titled wrong tho, homex should fix that
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 22:39 |
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I've known what it stands for since high school but everytime I see "IWW" i instantly auto-complete it as "International Workers of the World" in my head
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 23:32 |
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The stuff the Wobblies do with disenfranchised parts of society, getting them organised, especially prisoners, is loving tremendous. They also had a great deal recently in the UK around bike couriers getting better conditions which was awesome.
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 23:37 |
Captain Billy Pissboy posted:anyone here with the houston chapter? ive tried contacting them before but never got a response I'm not with the Houston chapter but try reaching out again, and also I'll yell at them thinking of writing up a post about how iww organizer trainings rule and teach you not to drunkenly whip out your red card in front of equally drunk coworkers and yell about how they should totally join your cool union edit: forkboy84 posted:They also had a great deal recently in the UK around bike couriers getting better conditions which was awesome. I've just been watching that from afar and across an ocean but from what I can tell it loving rules, if you have an effortpost in you I'd appreciate it woke kaczynski has issued a correction as of 23:47 on Sep 9, 2018 |
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 23:45 |
420 Gank Mid posted:I've known what it stands for since high school but everytime I see "IWW" i instantly auto-complete it as "International Workers of the World" in my head it's like you didn't even read the title
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# ? Sep 9, 2018 23:46 |
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Yay a thread for Wobblies!
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# ? Sep 11, 2018 18:34 |
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So Idk if this is the best place to post this but I might as well go ahead: I'm a college student who's been working part time in a fast food store for like 5 years now (had some trouble but seem to be on my feet now). The franchise is a complete clusterfuck and I know a lot of people are getting burned out. There's a general sense that Something Has To Happen but idk what to do or how to do it or even if its not just best to let it die on its own. I can more if you want but if I could just get recommendations for other stuff that'd be fine too
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 05:33 |
StashAugustine posted:So Idk if this is the best place to post this but I might as well go ahead: I'm a college student who's been working part time in a fast food store for like 5 years now (had some trouble but seem to be on my feet now). The franchise is a complete clusterfuck and I know a lot of people are getting burned out. There's a general sense that Something Has To Happen but idk what to do or how to do it or even if its not just best to let it die on its own. I can more if you want but if I could just get recommendations for other stuff that'd be fine too It's a bit too late on a Saturday night for me to have much good to say right this second but absolutely . also you can pm me your general location and I'll try and get you in touch with local folks if I happen to know anyone there
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 06:14 |
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finally, a thread for me
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 06:15 |
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sigh loudly
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 06:15 |
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StashAugustine posted:So Idk if this is the best place to post this but I might as well go ahead: I'm a college student who's been working part time in a fast food store for like 5 years now (had some trouble but seem to be on my feet now). The franchise is a complete clusterfuck and I know a lot of people are getting burned out. There's a general sense that Something Has To Happen but idk what to do or how to do it or even if its not just best to let it die on its own. I can more if you want but if I could just get recommendations for other stuff that'd be fine too This is 100% a question for the GWS industry thread, which is a thread of comrades (except for A Man And His Dog) and the only thread in GWS that doesn't make me want to join ISIS. Are you talking organization? Because I'll tell you for free that's something you take up with a local org who has connections with sympathetic lawyers, starting with documenting every single labor and human rights violation going back to last month and continuing indefinitely, because that's going to be Big Boy Organization with legal bullshit against everyone involved and the franchise can fight that longer than you can keep it up. Are you talking merely making it a better place to be at? I've been there. If you knew there was hope you'd have known it 3 years ago. Having seen what happens when That One Key Person finally gets fed up and walks, what happens next is a sad story. Save yourself.
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 06:19 |
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Yeah I don't think full-on organization is in the cards, it's a Subway, probably slowly dying, and we're in the middle of chud country. There's not any extremely obvious issue to rally around- the usual low-scale payroll fuckery but nothing out of the ordinary. It's just that the pay is poo poo and retention is terrible so people get stuck working insane shifts- the closer yesterday worked 14 hours in a row. I personally generally don't get stuck with the work and I don't need the money but anyone I still know who's there is getting fed up and I just wonder if there's anything to do other than quit.
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 14:57 |
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StashAugustine posted:Yeah I don't think full-on organization is in the cards, it's a Subway unless everyone--and I mean EVERYONE, because ONE cucked scab straying from the complaint under oath totally fucks your case--wants to rumble for 1-2 years about minimum wage or OT manipulation, or be first through the door on a service workers' local, you're hosed. Bail. Nothing whatsoever will change until those dudes or dudettes falling on the Double Grenades walk on short notice. I have seen this play out before. It's never good and OPTIMISTICALLY its a 50/50 shot whether the franchise owner gets their poo poo together, or crawls into whatever their substance vice is and declares bankruptcy and cuts bait and your first warning is coming into work to find the doors locked and a drunkenly misseplled typed note on the door thanking you for your support. Willie Tomg has issued a correction as of 22:35 on Sep 16, 2018 |
# ? Sep 16, 2018 22:32 |
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the wobblies fuckin own......THEY OWN!!!!!!!!
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 22:35 |
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So if I’m a dirty computer toucher who is basically being asked to transition into a management position at work, am I to take the OP as saying that I should reject such a change because the IWW would consider me to be as bad as a cop? If so, that’s awesome.
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 22:42 |
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# ? Sep 16, 2018 23:00 |
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im being promoted myself but I don't care what the wobblies think about it tbqh. That said if you have hiring or firing power you basically might as well be a cop
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 11:52 |
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Kobayashi posted:So if I’m a dirty computer toucher who is basically being asked to transition into a management position at work, am I to take the OP as saying that I should reject such a change because the IWW would consider me to be as bad as a cop? If so, that’s awesome. Lots of things are called "management" nowadays but the key question for the IWW is: "Do you have the power to hire and fire people?" Hell, I used to be a "Director of IT" but they just gave me the title to make it seem like I was moving up in the org. There were only 2 of us, and the only management responsibility I had any control over was approving the other guy's timesheet. I couldn't fire him if I'd wanted, I couldn't hire anyone new, and even my budget was basically completely redone by finance.
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 13:32 |
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poo poo, some of my managers when I was working at a chain of small convenience stores never had any hiring/firing power and were just considered by everyone to be a normal employee with a set of store keys and the privilege of being the dedicated raging suburbanite punching bag. They also got paid 30k/y salary and if they worked less than 60 hours a week for it they were deemed lazy and replaced as soon as possible.
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 14:31 |
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Willie Tomg posted:unless everyone--and I mean EVERYONE, because ONE cucked scab straying from the complaint under oath totally fucks your case--wants to rumble for 1-2 years about minimum wage or OT manipulation, or be first through the door on a service workers' local, you're hosed. Bail. Nothing whatsoever will change until those dudes or dudettes falling on the Double Grenades walk on short notice. I have seen this play out before. It's never good and OPTIMISTICALLY its a 50/50 shot whether the franchise owner gets their poo poo together, or crawls into whatever their substance vice is and declares bankruptcy and cuts bait and your first warning is coming into work to find the doors locked and a drunkenly misseplled typed note on the door thanking you for your support. K, thanks. Feels like poo poo there's nothing you can do but yeah that's probably no better option
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 14:35 |
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 14:43 |
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Congratulations syndicalism is canceled
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 14:55 |
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is there a designated Guillotine Squad or what
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 14:59 |
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Kobayashi posted:So if I’m a dirty computer toucher who is basically being asked to transition into a management position at work, am I to take the OP as saying that I should reject such a change because the IWW would consider me to be as bad as a cop? If so, that’s awesome. won't someone think of the poor bosses
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 15:06 |
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iww owns, being a wobbly makes me feel better about the succ of my workplace union
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 15:07 |
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Ace of Baes posted:won't someone think of the poor bosses I wasn’t being sarcastic.
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 15:19 |
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been a wobbly for a few months now, reading the GOB as an at-large wanna organize my workplace but they're mostly lib computer touchers
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 16:35 |
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 16:38 |
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Goast posted:poo poo, some of my managers when I was working at a chain of small convenience stores never had any hiring/firing power and were just considered by everyone to be a normal employee with a set of store keys and the privilege of being the dedicated raging suburbanite punching bag. i call people like that "suckers" thank gently caress i was too smart to keep being a programmer after high school, plus the sweaty fat smell of all those nerds in an office is revolting
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 22:12 |
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got any sevens posted:plus the sweaty fat smell of all those nerds in an office is revolting much like our posting
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 22:15 |
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This ones got legs
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# ? Sep 17, 2018 22:26 |
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# ? May 9, 2024 01:58 |
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# ? Sep 19, 2018 04:50 |