Month: March 2023

Friends and Fellow Workers! The IWW is purchasing and installing a monument in Centralia, Washington to commemorate and honor the Wobblies who died or were imprisoned following the Centralia Tragedy of November 11, 1919. On that day, the IWW union hall was attacked for the second time by a mob of American Legion men acting … Continue reading A Monument for Centralia

Manuel “Tortuguita” TeranThey/It4/23/96 – 1/18/23 Manny was a close friend, comrade, and above all, a constant fighter for working people. I knew them in Tallahassee through the IWW, Food Not Bombs, and Live Oak Radical Ecology and I will never cease to be amazed by their tireless activism, their extreme empathy, and their ability to … Continue reading Remembering Tortuguita

By Cedar Bushue Union-busting tactics have been around in the United States since we’ve had corporations. Early union-busting tactics involved killing workers and having the military come in (for example, Battle of Blair Mountain) as well as many others, such as companies hiring Pinkertons. Our government has always favored the corporations, particularly in these early … Continue reading Union-Busting Practices and What We Can Do to Fight Them

By FW Gordon and FW Sean On the last Saturday of January a small crowd of workers gathered at the Silverdale public library to watch and discuss “The Wobblies,” the 1979 documentary about the early years of the IWW. After we read the preamble to the IWW constitution, FW Phil introduced the film to the … Continue reading Hold the Fort, for We Are Coming

By FW Noah In “From Bowling Alone to Posting Alone”, Anton Jäger re-analyzes the book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam (published in 2000) from the perspective of today. Putnam described the decline of social institutions — ranging from unions and mass organizations down to local bowling clubs, sports leagues, and clubs such as the Elks … Continue reading Organizing Alone: Alienation, the Death of Community, and Unions

Fellow Worker Liz talks about her experience in early childhood education. Interviewed by FW Gordon and FW Sean. What's your work background? I started in early childhood education in 1986 and except for a ten year gap, I’ve stayed in the industry. I’ve worked for private, for profit, and faith based schools and I’ve worked … Continue reading An Interview with Fellow Worker Liz

by FW Sean Over the weekend of October 21, Bremerton IWWs attended an anti-racist getaway hosted by the People’s Institute Northwest in Tukwila. The three day program focused on cultural competence to educate organizers on fully utilizing our organizing potential through diversity. What this meant was that I got to spend a transformative weekend in … Continue reading Solidarity with the People’s Institute Northwest

by FW M, Bellingham This summer, a member of the IWW branch in Bellingham, Fellow Worker A., got a job at West Marine, a retail store selling boating equipment. After a few months of casually talking about unionism and the IWW with their coworkers and receiving positive responses, 3 of the 4 other workers in … Continue reading Beware the Hot Shop

by FW Noah Many in the IWW are familiar with the phrase “direct action gets the goods''. In our union’s century-long history, direct action has been one of the most powerful methods that workers have used to gain control and organize their shops. Whether working to rule, marching on the boss, or going on strike, … Continue reading Direct Action Gets the (Baked) Goods

by x386868 Many people are not aware that, by constitution, slavery is allowed to continue in America. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution states “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted…” Washington State Constitution Article II #29 has a similar provision: “… … Continue reading Should We Support Imprisoned Workers?