We are a democratic union dedicated to organizing workers in all industries. In the Portland IWW you will find people who work in restaurants, grocery stores, construction, social services, and a number of other fields. We help each other organize at our workplaces, and we host a variety of social events which help create the culture of solidarity needed to build a sustainable revolutionary working class movement.

We would love to hear from you! Please give us a call at 503-231-5488, or send an email to: portland.iww (at) gmail.com. An IWW Delegate will contact you to set up a time to meet and talk about the union, and to let you know about public events the IWW is involved in.

Organize for a better workplace; Organize for a Better World

The Portland branch of the Industrial Workers of the World has been involved in workplace organizing in a variety of industries including socials services, restaurants and hotels, construction, bike messengers and grocery outlets.

How We Organize

As the IWW we practice Industrial Unionism. By Industrial Unionism we mean that every worker within an industry is organized into the same union. For example, restaurant workers–whether they work in the front, the kitchen, or behind the sink–would be included in the same union, as would the workers that deliver food to the restaurant, pick up linens for drycleaning, clean the oven hoods, etc.  Another example is one union for Building Trades workers, one which would include carpenters, electricians, dry-wall, painters, etc. all “under the same roof”.
For the past several years the IWW has won gains on the job with what we call Solidarity Unionism. In brief, this form of organizing aims at building our power as workers, directly on the job and within an industry. It relies on our two most powerful weapons as workers, Solidarity and Direct Action. Solidarity being our ability to make common cause with one another and work together. Knowing that at each and every step an injury to one is an injury to us all. Direct Action is a strategy that relies on workers taking action without the assistance of a third party. We come together and deal with our problems directly on the job and within an industry. We believe that through this method of organizing, relying on ourselves and our power, we can build a militant movement of workers, to win better demands day to day, and a better world for us and our children.

Are You Down With This?

Currently we are actively organizing in non-profit social services, restaurants, and grocery stores within the Portland area.  However, we are a union which organizes all workers in all industries, and we would love to meet with you to talk about organizing in your workplace.  Please contact us at 503 231-5488 for more information.