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IWW Organizing Department

If you want to organize a union in your workplace or industry, you are in the right place.

Graphic by Gary Huck - used by permission

IWW volunteers would be happy to talk with you about strategies for improving your working conditions. The IWW can also provide you assistance if you and your coworkers decide to organize a union with the IWW.

The best place to start is either a phone conversation or email correspondence. Before the first contact, it would be helpful (though not necessary) to know a few things about your workplace:

    1) How many workers are there?

    2) What are the different types of jobs are there at your company? How many workers are there in each department?

    3) Does your store/company have other shops or distribution lines in the area?

    4) What percentage of your coworkers would initially be excited about a union? How many would be neutral or opposed? Do you think your coworkers at work need to know more about unions?

Here is some advice in the short term. You will want to keep any union talk, and general conversations about wages, benefits, hours, etc., out of the ears of management.

You will want to be a model employee because you do not want to give management any reason to fire you. Your job is worth defending and improving.

Start a workplace diary, noting positive and negative comments from supervisors and managers. Keep notes from meetings, schedule changes, etc. Make sure you note when, where, why, etc. Save company memos and pay stubs, ANYTHING that you think will help your case if you must use a government agency to fight the boss.

Lastly, it is legal to talk about union organizing and you have a legal right to organize to improve your working conditions.

But you should know that some of the most seemingly friendly companies have waged the most vicious union busting drives. The goal of keeping the campaign out of the ears of management is to do as much organizing as possible before your campaign goes public.

To get in touch with an IWW volunteer organizer, please contact:

  • E-mail - organizing@iww.org

The IWW offers a range of trainings for wokers who want to learn how to organize in their industry:

To schedule an Organizer Training, please contact:

  • Phone - (970) 903-8721
  • E-mail - jbwob@yahoo.com

The Basics of Organizing

Words of Caution - The IWW often receives calls for help from workers in shops where working conditions have deteriorated to the point where workers are quitting or where they or their coworkers have been fired for trying to organize a union.

The IWW highly recommends that you don't wait until things get this bad before you contact us.

Why Organize? - Organizing the unorganized has always been the driving spirit behind the labor movement.

Unionists understand that everything we have achieved can be taken away if we don't continue to organize. Employers pit one group against another, demanding concessions in order to be "competitive." To be strong, we must be united.

Basic Steps for Building an Organizing Campaign
  • Building Contacts
  • Mapping & Charting the Workplace
  • Building the Organizing Committee
  • Research
  • Building Relationships
  • Going Public

Graphic by Gary Huck - used by permission

How to Fight Back on the Job - Strategy and Tactics for successful union organizing:
  • Solidarity Unionism - Rebuilding the Labor Movement from Below.
  • The Minority Report - Organizing without majority bargaining unit status or union contracts.
  • Workers Guide to Direct Action.
  • The Shortcomings of Business Unionism.
Image by Gary Huck - used by permission.

Labor Law and Your Rights in the Workplace
  • Labor Law for the Rank & Filer
  • Some Basic Workplace Rights
  • How a Union Gets Oficially Recognized
  • The Rights of Union Members
  • Sample Union Contracts

Start Your Own IWW Branch

If you cannot find an IWW branch in your industry or community, We will help you start an IWW branch if none currently exists.

This section also includes information on how to recruit new members, how to hold and run successful meetings, and how to deal with sensitive issues, such as diversity and burnout.

Suggested Books for Further Reading

Organizing is a diverse and complex subject. We cannot possibly hope to cover every aspect in a short time.

There are many useful books on the subject of organizing at the point of production, strategic non-violence, rank & file workers' activity, self-management, collective bargaining, and more.

We have included a short list of some of these books.

Words of Caution ›