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Official newspaper Of The indusTrial wOrkers Of The wOrld
Building The IWW,Labor & Occupy InMilwaukee 11The IWW, StarbucksAnd Class Warfare7
INDUSTRIAL WORKER
Self-EmploymentAnd The Illusion Of Freedom 4
stmb 2012 #1748 Vo. 109 no. 7
$2/ £2/ €2
Prisoners Stage Hunger Strike In North Carolina
Reviving An Old Tradition Of Educating IWW Agitators
InternationalSolidarity: SpotlightOn Africa
12
Junior Wobblies and counselors sing “All The Union Ladies” atthe talent show on the last day of Work People’s College.
By Brendan Maslauskas Dunn
Over 100 prisoners in three NorthCarolina prisons initiated a hunger strikeon July 16 to protest inhumane conditionsin the prison system and to push for anumber of reforms. The prisons affected by the hunger strike were Bertie Correc-tional Institution in Windsor, ScotlandCorrectional Institution in Laurinburgand Central Prison in Raleigh. Prisonerstook this action to push the prison admin-istration to end physical abuse, solitary
connement and torture. They were also
fighting for better healthcare, cleanercells and access to law libraries. Many of the prisoners called themselves the New Freedom Riders.The hunger strike erupted on theheels of a renewed national movementfor prisoner justice. The largest prisonerstrike in U.S. history spread to numerousGeorgia prisons in December 2010. Theunprecedented strike united prisonersacross ethnic and cultural lines and brokedown prior gang rivalries. Another strike wave rippled through California prisons inSeptember 2011, originating at the notori-ous Pelican Bay prison.In the fall of 2011, Occupy For Pris-oners was formed to spread the Occupy movement into the prison system.The new group held a national day of action on Feb.20, 2012, calling for human rights for U.S.prisoners. Prisoners at the Ohio maximumsecurity prison in Lucasville staged ahunger strike to push for simple reformsand again staged a hunger strike on May Day in a coordinated action with Occupy protests. These are just a few actions andstrikes that are giving shape to the new prisoner justice movement.There is money to be made off of themass incarceration of poor people and
Continued on 7
Photo: James Fellman
By Anne Lyttle
Workers at a Palermo’s Pizza factory inMilwaukee, Wis., went on strike on May 30after the company retaliated with threatsof termination and deportation againstthe workers’ attempts to organize a union.
Milwaukee Pizza Factory Workers Strike
The workers have been on the picketline six days a week for two months (atpress time), callingfor the company to give them their jobs back and agreeto meet with thePalermo’s WorkersUnion. Palermo’sresponded by usingan agency to hirescabs and by threat-ening the workers who remained in-side.Robert Silva, asecond shift ware-house employee, has worked at Palermo’sfor 12 years. “They are telling people if they join us they’re going to lose their jobs,” he said, adding that the company isusing “whatever they have on their hands
Photo: Madison IWW
The picket line at Palermo’s on June 15.
By Juan Conatz and Cedar Larson
The IWW is famous for its radicaland inspiring history, and so an often-heard criticism of Wobblies is that we are“stuck in the past,” that 80 years havepassed and we are now little more thana “Joe Hill Appreciation Society.” Thisargument discredits the value of lessonslearned from past organizers, both recentand historical. The past has a lot to teachus, as does the present.None of us are so smart that we can’tlearn from what other workers have tried before us. The important part in movingforward is what we do with that knowledgeto adapt to present labor conditions. Thispast summer, Wobblies revived something
from our history and updated it to t our
times. That something was the Work People’s College (WPC).Fellow Worker (FW) Mykke fromthe Bay Area said he came away from the WPC awestruck by shared knowledge.“Whether veterans or new members, justabout everybody had invaluable organiz-ing gems to share with each other. There was a palpable hunger to learn and aneagerness to participate in the group pro-cess,” Mykke said, adding that this could be called “thinking collectively.”The WPC traces its roots to a Lutherancollege founded in 1907 for Finnish im-migrants in Duluth, Minn. As some years
passed, socialists inuenced the school,
and eventually it was renamed the Work People’s College. By 1921, following thesplit in the socialist movement alongelectoral and direct action lines, the WPC became associated with the IWW, whichused it to promote theoretical study andthe spread of organizational skills. Wobblies came to the WPC to learnabout industrial unionism and the skillsneeded to be a delegate and public speaker.There were also English classes, readingsof Karl Marx and various IWW members,as well as explanations of the structure andmethods of the union. The college contin-ued, even as our membership declined,
Continued on 6
to stop us.”Palermo’s has a history of workplaceabuse, forcing employees to come to work while sick and blaming them for injuriescaused by poor safety standards. Workers who are injured by unsafe machinery areexpected to return to work the next day.Silva said the workers decided to organizefor “better treatment for the employees…people are having accidents because of thespeed of the lines.”Palermo’s workers regularly pull 12-14hour shifts while making $7.75 an hour,according to George Berry, who works on
the factory oor. Berry said the company
is exploiting its mostly minority and im-
migrant workforce to maximize prots.“It’s blacks and Latinos on the oor every
time, and the company is running smooth with them.” The company has promised apay raise to some of the workers, but ratherthan deliver on that promise managementcontinues to pay poverty wages. A female employee who wishes to re-main anonymous said that her family losttwo sources of income when the company replaced both she and her spouse. “Thereare wives and husbands that work hereand both of them lost their jobs,” she said.Despite replacing most of the strik-ing workers, Palermo’s bottom line has been impacted by the strike. Three of thefive production lines were reported tohave been shut down and production hasslowed due to the number of inexperiencedreplacements. The Palermo’s WorkersUnion has called for a boycott of Palermo’sfrozen pizzas, which are sold at grocery chains such as Costco, Fairway, Pick ‘nSave, and Hy-Vee.The Palermo’s Workers Union is
afliated with Voces de la Frontera, an
immigrant rights center in Milwaukee. Voces and the United Steelworkers (USW)have been helping the workers organize.Palermo’s refuses to recognize the unionalthough 80 percent of the workers have
Continued on 7
Page 2 •
Industrial Worker
• September 2012
Australia
Regional Organising Committee: P.O. Box 1866, Albany,WAAlbany: 0423473807, entropy4@gmail.comMelbourne: P.O. Box 145, Moreland, VIC 3058. 0448712 420Perth: Mike Ballard, swillsqueal@yahoo.com.au
British Isles
British Isles Regional Organising Committee (BIROC): POBox 7593 Glasgow, G42 2EX. Secretariat: rocsec@iww.org.uk, Organising Department Chair: south@iww.org.uk. www.iww.org.ukIWW UK Web Site administrators and Tech DepartmentCoordinators: admin@iww.org.uk, www.tech.iww.org.ukNBS Job Branch National Blood Service: iww.nbs@gmail.comMission Print Job Branch: tomjoad3@hotmail.co.ukBuilding Construction Workers IU 330: construction-branch@iww.org.ukHealth Workers IU 610: healthworkers@iww.org.uk,www.iww-healthworkers.org.ukEducation Workers IU 620: education@iww.org.uk,www.geocities.com/iwweducationRecreational Workers (Musicians) IU 630: peltonc@gmail.com, longadan@gmail.comGeneral, Legal, Public Interest & Financial Oce WorkersIU 650: rocsec@iww.org.ukBradord: bradord@iww.org.ukBristol GMB: Hydra Books, 34 Old Market, BS2 0EZ.bristol@iww.org.uk, www.bristoliww.org.uk/Cambridge GMB:
IWWCambridge, 12 Mill Road,Cambridge CB1 2AD cambridge@iww.org.ukDorset: 0044(0)7570891030. thehiplet@yahoo.co.ukHull: hull@iww.org.ukLeeds: leedsiww@hotmail.co.uk, leeds@iww.org.ukLeicester GMB: Unit 107, 40 Halord St., Leicester LE11TQ, England. 07981 433 637. leics@iww.org.uk www.leicestershire-iww.org.ukLondon GMB: c/o Freedom Bookshop, Angel Alley, 84bWhitechapel High Street, E1 7QX. +44 (0) 20 3393 1295,londoniww@gmail.com www.iww.org/en/branches/UK/LondonNottingham: notts@iww.org.ukReading GMB: reading@iww.org.ukSheeld: sheeld@iww.org.ukTyne and Wear GMB (Newcastle +): tyneandwear@iww.org.uk. www.iww.org/en/branches/UK/TyneWest Midlands GMB: The Warehouse, 54-57 AllisonStreet, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5TH westmids@iww.org.uk www.wmiww.orgYork GMB: york@iww.org.uk www.wowyork.org
Scotland
Clydeside GMB: hereandnowscot@gmail.comDumries and Galloway GMB: dumries@iww.org.uk ,iwwdumries.wordpress.comEdinburgh GMB: c/o 17 W. Montgomery Place, EH7 5HA.0131-557-6242. edinburgh@iww.org.uk
CanadaI
WW Canadian Regional Organizing Committee(CANROC): iww@iww.ca
Alberta
Edmon-ton GMB: P.O. Box 75175, T6E 6K1. edmontongmb@iww.org, edmonton.iww.ca. Gabriel Cardenas, del.,780-990-9081, x349429@gmail.com
British Columbia
Vancouver GMB: 204-2274 York Ave., V6K 1C6.604-732-9613. contact@vancouveriww.com. www.vancouveriww.comVancouver Island GMB: Box 297 St. A, Nanaimo BC, V9R5K9. iwwvi@telus.net. http://vanislewobs.wordpress.com
Manitoba
Win-nipeg GMB: IWW, c/o WORC, P.O. Box 1, R3C 2G1.winnipegiww@hotmail.com
New Brunswick
Fredericton: jono_29@riseup.net
Ontario
Ottawa-Outaouais GMB & GDC Local 6: 1106 Wellington St., P.O.Box 36042, Ottawa, K1Y 4V3. ott-out@iww.org, gdc6@ottawaiww.orgOttawa Panhandlers Union: Karen Crossman, spokesper-son, 613-282-7968, karencrossman17@yahoo.comPeterborough: c/o PCAP, 393 Water St. #17, K9H 3L7,705-749-9694. Sean Carleton, del., 705-775-0663,seancarleton@iww.orgToronto GMB: c/o Libra Knowledge & Inormation SvcsCo-op, P.O. Box 353 Stn. A, M5W 1C2. 416-919-7392. iw-wtoronto@gmail.com. Max Bang, del., nowitstime610@gmail.comWindsor GMB: c/o WWAC, 328 Pelissier St., N9A 4K7.(519) 564-8036. windsoriww@gmail.com. http://windsoriww.wordpress.com
Québec
Montreal GMB: cp 60124, Montréal, QC, H2J 4E1. 514-268-3394. iww_quebec@riseup.net
EuropeFinland
Helsinki: Reko Ravela, Otto Brandtintie 11 B 25, 00650.iwwsuomi@helsinkinet.
German Language Area
IWW German Language Area Regional OrganizingCommittee (GLAMROC): IWW, Haberweg 19, 61352 BadHomburg, Germany. iww-germany@gmx.net. www.wobblies.deAustria: iwwaustria@gmail.com. www.iwwaustria.wordpress.comFrankurt am Main: iww-rankurt@gmx.netCologne/Koeln GMB: c/o Allerweltshaus, Koernerstr.77-79, 50823 Koeln, Germany. cologne1@wobblies.de.www.iwwcologne.wordpress.com
Munich: iww.muenchen@gmx.deSwitzerland
:
IWW-Zurich@gmx.ch
Netherlands
: iww.ned@gmail.com
Norway IWW
: 004793656014. post@iwwnorge.org.http://www.iwwnorge.org, http://www.acebook.com/iwwnorge. Twitter: @IWWnorge
AfricaSouth Africa
Cape Town: 7a Rosebridge, Linray Road, Rosebank,Cape Town, Western Cape, South Arica 7700. iww-ct@live.co.za
Uganda
IWW Kabale Uganda: Justus Tukwasibwe Weijagye,P.O. Box 217, Kabale , Uganda, East Arica. jkweijagye[at]yahoo.com
United StatesArizona
Phoenix GMB: P.O. Box 7126, 85011-7126. 623-336-1062. phoenix@iww.orgFlagsta: 928-600-7556, chuy@iww.org
Arkansas
Fayetteville: P.O. Box 283, 72702. 479-200-1859.nwar_iww@hotmail.com
DC
DC GMB (Washington): 741 Morton St. NW, WashingtonDC, 20010. 571-276-1935
California
Los Angeles GMB: (323) 374-3499. iwwgmbla@gmail.comNorth Coast GMB: P.O. Box 844, Eureka 95502-0844.707-725-8090, angstink@gmail.comSacramento: 916-825-0873, iwwsacramento@gmail.comSan Francisco Bay Area GMB: (Curbside and Buyback IU670 Recycling Shops; Stonemountain Fabrics Job Shopand IU 410 Garment and Textile Worker’s IndustrialOrganizing Committee; Shattuck Cinemas; EmbarcaderoCinemas) P.O. Box 11412, Berkeley, 94712. 510-845-0540. bayarea@iww.orgIU 520 Marine Transport Workers: Steve Ongerth, del.,intextile@iww.orgEvergreen Printing: 2412 Palmetto Street, Oakland94602. 510-482-4547. evergreen@igc.orgSan Jose: sjiww@yahoo.com
Colorado
Denver GMB: 2727 W. 27th Ave., 80211. Lowell May,del., 303-433-1852. breadandroses@msn.comFour Corners (AZ, CO, NM, UT): 970-903-8721, 4cor-ners@iww.org
Florida
Gainesville GMB: c/o Civic Media Center, 433 S. Main St.,32601. Robbie Czopek, del., 904-315-5292, gainesvil-leiww@riseup.net, www.gainesvilleiww.orgMiami IWW: miami@iww.orgHobe Sound: P. Shultz, 8274 SE Pine Circle, 33455-6608.772-545-9591, okiedogg2002@yahoo.comPensacola GMB: P.O. Box 2662, Pensacola 32513-2662.840-437-1323, iwwpensacola@yahoo.com, www.angelre.com/f5/iww
Georgia
Atlanta GMB: 542 Moreland Avenue, Southeast Atlanta,30316. 404-693-4728
Hawaii
Honolulu: Tony Donnes, del., donnes@hawaii.edu
Idaho
Boise: Ritchie Eppink, del., P.O. Box 453, 83701. 208-371-9752, eppink@gmail.com
Illinois
Chicago GMB: P.O. Box 57114, 60657. 312-638-9155.chicago@iww.orgCentral Ill GMB: 903 S. Elm, Champaign, IL, 61820. 217-356-8247. David Johnson, del., unionyes@ameritech.netFreight Truckers Hotline: mtw530@iww.org
Iowa
Eastern Iowa GMB: 563-265-5330. William.R.Juhl@gmail.com
Kansas
Lawrence IWW: 785-843-3813. bacjb@ku.eduWichita: Naythan Smith, del., 316-633-0591.nrsmith85@gmail.com
Louisiana
Louisiana IWW: John Mark Crowder, del.,126 Kelly Lane,Homer 71040. 318-224-1472. wogodm@iww.org
Maine
Maine IWW: 206-350-9130. maine@iww.org, www.southernmaineiww.org
Maryland
Baltimore GMB: P.O. Box 33350, 21218. baltimoreiww@gmail.com
Massachusetts
Boston Area GMB: PO Box 391724, Cambridge 02139.617-863-7920, boston.iww@gmail.com, http://iw-wboston.orgCape Cod/SE Massachusetts: thematch@riseup.netWestern Mass. Public Service IU 650 Branch: IWW, P.O.Box 1581, Northampton, 01061
Michigan
Detroit GMB: 4210 Trumbull Blvd., 48208. detroit@iww.org.Grand Rapids GMB: P.O. Box 6629, 49516. 616-881-5263. griww@iww.orgGrand Rapids Bartertown Diner and Roc’s Cakes: 6Jeerson St., 49503. onya@bartertowngr.com, www.bartertowngr.comCentral Michigan: 5007 W. Columbia Rd., Mason 48854.517-676-9446, happyhippie66@hotmail.com
Minnesota
Duluth IWW: Brad Barrows, del., 1 N. 28th Ave E.,55812. scratchbrad@riseup.net.Red River IWW: redriveriww@gmail.com.Twin Cities GMB: 3019 Minnehaha Ave. South, Suite 50,Minneapolis 55406. twincities@iww.org
Missouri
Greater Kansas City IWW: P.O. Box 414304, Kansas City64141-4304. 816.875.6060. greaterkciww@gmail.comSt. Louis IWW: P.O. Box 63142, 63163. stlwobbly@gmail.com
Montana
Construction Workers IU 330: Dennis Georg, del., 406-490-3869, tramp233@hotmail.comBillings: Jim Del Duca, 106 Paisley Court, Apt. I, Boze-man 59715. 406-860-0331. delducja@gmail.com
Nebraska
Nebraska GMB: P.O. Box 81175, Lincoln 68501-1175.402-370-6962. nebraskagmb@iww.org. www.nebraskaiww.org
Nevada
Reno GMB: P.O. Box 12173, 89510. Paul Lenart, del.,775-513-7523, hekmatista@yahoo.comIU 520 Railroad Workers: Ron Kaminkow, del., P.O. Box2131, Reno, 89505. 608-358-5771. ronkaminkow@yahoo.com
New Hampshire
New Hampshire IWW: Paul Broch, del.,112 Middle St.#5, Manchester 03101. 603-867-3680 . SevenSixTwoR-evolution@yahoo.com
New Jersey
Central New Jersey GMB: P.O. Box 10021, New Bruns-wick, 08906. 732-801-7001. iwwcnj@gmail.com. BobRatynski, del., 908-285-5426
New Mexico
Albuquerque GMB: 202 Harvard Dr. SE, 87106. 505-227-0206, abq@iww.org.
New York
New York City GMB: 45-02 23rd Street, Suite #2, LongIsland City,11101. iww-nyc@iww.org. www.wobblycity.orgStarbucks Campaign:
starbucksunion@yahoo.com www.starbucksunion.orgHudson Valley GMB: P.O. Box 48, Huguenot 12746,845-342-3405, hviww@aol.com, http://hviww.blogspot.com/Syracuse IWW: syracuse@iww.orgUpstate NY GMB: P.O. Box 235, Albany 12201-0235,518-833-6853 or 518-861-5627. www.upstate-nyiww.org, secretary@upstate-ny-iww.org, Rochelle Semel,del., P.O. Box 172, Fly Creek 13337, 607-293-6489,rochelle71@peoplepc.com.
North Carolina
Asheville GMB: P.O. Box 1005, 28802. 828-407-1979.iww.asheville@gmail.comGreensboro GMB: P. O. Box 5022, 27435. 1-855-IWW-4-GSO (855-499-4476). gsoiww@riseup.net
North Dakota
Red River IWW: redriveriww@gmail.com
Ohio
Mid-Ohio GMB: c/o Rie, 4071 Indianola Ave., Colum-bus 43214. midohioiww@gmail.comNortheast Ohio GMB: P.O. Box 141072, Cleveland 44114.216-502-5325Ohio Valley GMB: P.O. Box 6042, Cincinnati 45206, 513-961-3813, ohiovalleyiww@gmail.comTextile & Clothing Workers IU 410: P.O. Box 317741,Cincinnati 45231. ktacmota@aol.com
Oklahoma
Tulsa: P.O. Box 213, Medicine Park 73557, 580-529-3360
Oregon
Lane GMB: Ed Gunderson, del.,
541-743-5681.x355153@iww.org,
www.eugeneiww.orgPortland GMB: 2249 E Burnside St., 97214, 503-231-5488. portland.iww@gmail.com, pdx.iww.orgPortland Red and Black Cae: 400 SE 12th Ave, 97214.503-231-3899. general@redandblackcae.com. www.redandblackcae.com
Pennsylvania
Lancaster IWW: P.O. Box 352, 17608. iwwlancasterpa@gmail.com.Paper Crane Press IU 450 Job Shop: 610-358-9496.papercranepress@verizon.net, www.papercranepress.comPittsburgh GMB: P.O. Box 5912,15210. pittsburghiww@yahoo.com
Rhode Island
Providence GMB: P.O. Box 5795, 02903. 508-367-6434.providenceiww@gmail.com
Texas
Dallas & Fort Worth: 1618 6th Ave, Fort Worth, 76104Golden Triangle IWW (Beaumont - Port Arthur): gt-iww@riseup.netSouth Texas IWW: rgviww@gmail.com
Utah
Salt Lake City GMB: P.O. Box 1227, 84110.slcgmb@iww.org
Vermont
Burlington GMB: P.O. Box 8005, 05402. 802-540-2541
Virginia
Richmond IWW: P.O. Box 7055, 23221. 804-496-1568.richmondiww@gmail.com, www.richmondiww.org
Washington
Bellingham: P.O. Box 1793, 98227. 360-920-6240.BellinghamIWW@gmail.com.Tacoma GMB: P.O. Box 7276, 98401. TacIWW@iww.org.http://tacoma.iww.org/Seattle GMB: 1122 E. Pike #1142, 98122-3934. 206-339-4179. seattleiww@gmail.com. www.seattleiww.org
Wisconsin
Madison GMB: P.O. Box 2442, 53701-2442. www.madison.iww.orgIUB 560 - Communications and Computer Workers: P.O.Box 259279, Madison 53725. 608-620-IWW1. Madiso-niub560@iww.org. www.Madisoniub560.iww.orgLakeside Press IU 450 Job Shop: 1334 Williamson,53703. 608-255-1800. Jerry Chernow, del., jerry@lakesidepress.org. www.lakesidepress.orgMadison Inoshop Job Shop:1019 Williamson St. #B,53703. 608-262-9036Just Coee Job Shop IU 460: 1129 E. Wilson, Madison,53703. 608-204-9011, justcoee.coopRailroad Workers IU 520: 608-358-5771. railalcon@yahoo.comMilwaukee GMB: 1750A N Astor St., 53207. TrevorSmith, 414-573-4992Northwoods IWW: P.O. Box 452, Stevens Point, WI,54481. Casey Martinson, del, 608-445-4145
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Mailing Address:
Industrial Worker
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Letters Welcome!
Wobbly Inspiration From A Texas Prison
Dear
IW
staff,Greetings from the Texas gulag! I wishI could claim to be a fellow worker—andI did indeed work for nearly two decades within the Texas prison system—but now I’m in high security (or “superseg”) due tomy outspoken but nonviolent subversiveand antiauthoritarian political beliefs (Ihave “Enemy of the State” prominently tattooed across my breastbone), and soI’m in permanent solitary.Over the past few years I have beenstruggling to educate myself concern-ing the genuine nature of the predatory and ultimately unsustainable capitalist-imperialist system of government and what model, if any, would be a preferablealternative. I’ve read a number of bookspromoting different forms of Marxismand anarchism, including several historiesand biographies of prominent players inthe ongoing struggle for freedom, and I’vecome to view communism and anarchism both as forms of socialism with differingdegrees of authoritarianism and libertari-anism, respectively, as the ideological boneof contention.I’ve been receiving literature andperiodicals from the Revolutionary Com-munist Party, a Marxist-Leninist-Maoistorganization, for several years now, and Imust confess I’ve learned a great deal fromthem and, for a while at least, was seduced by their rhetoric into viewing myself as arevolutionary communist. Then I came
upon a quote out of Emma Goldman’s su
-perlative autobiography, “Living My Life,”in which, when asked if she had a messageto workers outside of Russia, she replied,“May they emulate the spirit of their Rus-sian brothers in the coming revolution, butnot their naïve faith in political leaders,no matter how fervent their protestationsand how red their slogans! That alone cansafeguard future revolutions from beingharnessed to the state and enslaved again by its bureaucratic whip.” It was as if dearEmma was speaking directly to me downthrough the ages!I have come to consider myself a Wob- bly in spirit and am convinced when acritical number of people wake up to thisspirit of solidarity and refuse to maintain
the status quo by going along to get along,
then we will be able to make a peacefulrevolution organized around labor.Thank you for all the wonderful work you do to hasten that collective awakening.Peace!
Richard
Get the Word Out!
IWW members, branches, job shops and
other afliated bodies can get the word
out about their project, event, campaignor protest each month in the
Industrial Worker
. Send announcements to iw@
iww.org. Much appreciated donations forthe following sizes should be sent to:IWW GHQ, P.O. Box 180195,Chicago, IL 60618, United States.$12 for 1” tall, 1 column wide$40 for 4” by 2 columns
$90 for a quarter page
Recently a reader wrote that thereshould be a Spanish language edition of the
Industrial Worker
(“The
IW
ShouldHave A Spanish Section,” July/August
IW
, page 2). I agree! There should also bea large print edition, for people who are visually impaired. Some people can’t readsmall print easily. I would like to see morearticles on workers with disabilities.Many workers with disabilities facegreat workplace problems. The UnitedFederation of Teachers has a special com-mittee on people with disabilities. Workers with disabilities often face discriminationand harassment. Often, this discrimina-tion and harassment comes from bossesand supervisors. At times, unfortunately, very often, this discrimination and harass-ment comes from other workers. Oftenthis discrimination and harassment takethe form of deliberately placing workers with these disabilities in situations and work assignments that are dangerous totheir health and contraindicated to theirdisabilities. This is to say nothing about jobs that are inherently very dangerousand unhealthful such as coal mining, log-ging and mill work.
Raymond S. SolomonEditor,
Free Voices
For A Large-Print
IW
September 2012
•
Industrial Worker
• Page 3
__I afrm that I am a worker, and that I am not an employer.
__I agree to abide by the IWW constitution.
__I will study its principles and acquaint myself with its purposes.
Name: ________________________________ Address: ______________________________City, State, Post Code, Country: _______________Occupation: ____________________________Phone: ____________ Email: _______________ Amount Enclosed: _________
The working class and the employingclass have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and wantare found among millions of workingpeople and the few, who make up the em-ploying class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a strugglemust go on until the workers of the worldorganize as a class, take possession of themeans of production, abolish the wagesystem, and live in harmony with theearth.
We nd that the centering of the man
-agement of industries into fewer and fewerhands makes the trade unions unable tocope with the ever-growing power of theemploying class. The trade unions fostera state of affairs which allows one set of workers to be pitted against another setof workers in the same industry, thereby helping defeat one another in wage wars.Moreover, the trade unions aid the employ-ing class to mislead the workers into the belief that the working class have interestsin common with their employers.These conditions can be changed andthe interest of the working class upheldonly by an organization formed in sucha way that all its members in any one in-dustry, or all industries if necessary, cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on inany department thereof, thus making aninjury to one an injury to all.Instead of the conservative motto, “A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work,” wemust inscribe on our banner the revolu-tionary watchword, “Abolition of the wagesystem.”It is the historic mission of the work-ing class to do away with capitalism. Thearmy of production must be organized,not only for the everyday struggle withcapitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall have been over-thrown. By organizing industrially we areforming the structure of the new society within the shell of the old.
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Mail this form with a check or money order for initiation
and your rst month’s dues to: IWW, Post Ofce Box 180195, Chicago, IL
60618, USA.Initiation is the same as one month’s dues. Our dues are calculatedaccording to your income. If your monthly income is under $2000, duesare $9 a month. If your monthly income is between $2000 and $3500,dues are $18 a month. If your monthly income is over $3500 a month, duesare $27 a month. Dues may vary outside of North America and in RegionalOrganizing Committees (Australia, British Isles, German Language Area).
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Industrial Worker
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Join the IWW Today
T
he IWW is a union for all workers, a union dedicated to organizing on the job, in our industries and in our communities both to win better conditionstoday and to build a world without bosses, a world in which production anddistribution are organized by workers ourselves to meet the needs of the entire popu-lation, not merely a handful of exploiters. We are the Industrial Workers of the World because we organize industrially –that is to say, we organize all workers on the job into one union, rather than dividing
workers by trade, so that we can pool our strength to ght the bosses together.
Since the IWW was founded in 1905, we have recognized the need to build a truly international union movement in order to confront the global power of the bossesand in order to strengthen workers’ ability to stand in solidarity with our fellow workers no matter what part of the globe they happen to live on. We are a union open to all workers, whether or not the IWW happens to haverepresentation rights in your workplace. We organize the worker, not the job, recog-
nizing that unionism is not about government certication or employer recognition
but about workers coming together to address our common concerns. Sometimesthis means striking or signing a contract. Sometimes it means refusing to work withan unsafe machine or following the bosses’ orders so literally that nothing gets done.
Sometimes it means agitating around particular issues or grievances in a specic
workplace, or across an industry.Because the IWW is a democratic, member-run union, decisions about what issuesto address and what tactics to pursue are made by the workers directly involved.
IWW Constitution Preamble
Building Blocks
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It’s All Relative: Building The IWW GMB In Richmond, Part 1
By Kenneth Yates
In January 2010 several community organizers reacted to a trend of noticesappearing in the more destitute areas of Richmond, Va. These notices declaredthat public transportation access would be reduced or eliminated and fares would be raised to make up for a shortfall in theoperating budget of about $1.5 million.In a city where the vast majority of ridersare dependent on public transportation inorder to survive, this seemed like a logicalplace to begin organizing.In part one of this series on build-ing the Richmond General MembershipBranch (GMB), I would like to address,from my perspective, what led to ourinitial development and why it may beimportant for struggling or prospectiveIWW branches to choose an issue—if notshop- or industry- based organizing—thataddresses working people’s concerns ona practical level and helps develop classconsciousness.I joined the IWW in August 2009 asan at-large member, online, while visitinga friend in Minneapolis. Why I didn’t just
nd a Twin Cities delegate and sign up
through them, I don’t know. Shortly after joining, I received my red card, a GeneralOrganization Bulletin (GOB), and some-thing about voting in some referendumthing. Regardless of my enthusiasm, I hadabsolutely no idea what was going on. Asan at-large member, I felt a little discon-nected, but I wore my pin proud, read the
Industrial Worker
and dove into the his-tory of the union.I feel it’s important to point out thatthe labor movement in Virginia is virtually non-existent. Because of Virginia beinga “right-to-work” state, union density isless than 4.6 percent and people believethis means that unions are either illegalin Virginia, or that you have to be grand-fathered in. You can imagine how abstractand frightening the concept of organizingin the workplace must be to people whosuddenly realize they have that right.Naturally, knowing we had a lot tolearn, we decided to go with what we knew and took to the streets. After putting insome research, we realized that no one inthe city was addressing the issues of publictransportation—including the impendingfare increase and route reductions. If peo-ple were addressing these issues, it wasn’tfrom the perspective of the community who was dependent on it. Rather, it took on more of an environmentalist, or “how can we get more white people to ride,”slant. We thought the transit-dependent
communities required an organization all
their own that wasn’t mired with alliances
to nonprot organizations, developers or
business associations.Over the next few months, we took itupon ourselves to conduct a lot of inde-pendent research. We became intimate with the transit system—how it’s fundedand structured, where it goes and doesn’tgo, etc. We familiarized ourselves withtransit riders unions in other cities likeMilwaukee, Los Angeles and Laredo,Texas. We decided that a transit riders’union was something Richmond needed,
Graphic: Ben Debney
but questions still remained: How would
it be organized? Who would organize it?How should it be structured?Those of us doing the research hap-pened to also be interested in building theRichmond GMB. This would bring us toabout three card-carrying members. We
thought that that this would be a good rst
campaign to take up under the banner of the One Big Union. We took our researchto a May Day workshop titled “Why Rich-mond needs the Industrial Workers of the World” in hopes of gauging people’sinterest and recruiting more organizers.In this workshop, we gave a brief history of the union, dispelled the aforementionedmyths that unions are illegal in Virginia,discussed the IWW’s organizationalstructure, and attempted to articulate why the IWW and revolutionary union-ism is important to building a principledand effective anti-capitalist working-classmovement and culture. We knew that people would want toknow what we were doing right now, so wemade our case for the Richmond TransitRiders Union (RTRU), discussed the roleof IWW members in the initial research
and dened what our roles as organizers
would be in building the organization. Weemphasized the importance of approach-ing the issue of transportation justicefrom the perspective of class, and that by doing so we would inherently create dialogaround relative issues. These include is-sues that are currently being addressed asunrelated single concerns: unemployment,housing, racism, sexism, accessibility andimmigration, among others. At the end of the workshop, we encouraged people to join and announced what would become
the rst of many Richmond GMB meet
-ings.From there, over the course of three weeks, a motley, but growing, crew of Wobblies took to the streets armed with
clipboards and iers announcing an inter
-est meeting for the formation of the RTRU. We introduced ourselves as members of the IWW, and many of us being choiceriders, made it clear that we wanted tohelp organize, not be decision-makers. We talked to people as they waited fortheir buses, collecting over 500 contacts. We then invited every single person to apresentation where we laid out all that welearned and made the case for a transit-dependent-led organization. All the hard work resulted in over 30 riders attending,and the idea was enthusiastically received.
The RTRU was born and thus our rst
campaign deemed a success.For many, if not all of us, the com-
munity approach was a natural rst step
to building a branch that would become adriving force in how people view the localand international labor movement. It’s dif-
cult to be completely objective; however,
I think it’s safe to say that Richmond has become a more dynamic city in terms of class-based organizing since the IWW wasestablished in town.Our involvement continues with theRTRU as a partner organization, and wehave gained several IWW members fromthe RTRU directly due to this.
Photo: rvanews.com
First meeting of the Richmond Transit Riders Union in June.