Industrial Worker - Issue #1769, November 2014

8/10/2019 Industrial Worker - Issue #1769, November 2014

1/16

Industrial Worker

PO Box 180195

Chicago, IL 60618, USA

ISSN 0019-8870ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Periodicals Postage

P A I D

Chicago, ILand additional

mailing ofces

O F F I C I A L N E W S P A P E R O F T H E I N D U S T R I A L W O R K E R S O F T H E W O R L D

In November WeRemember U.S. LaborStruggles 11-14

Jimmy Johns WorkersPicket in Baltimore 5

INDUSTRIAL WORKER

Making Our VoicesHeard Against SexismIn The IWW 3

N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4 # 1 7 6 9 V o l . 1 1 1 N o . 9 $ 2 / 2 / 2

Portland IWW Battles With Non-Profits Over Union Busting

An

ti-FascistDemonstrations InGreece 16

Photo: Shane Burley

They Go Wild, Simply Wild, Over Me!By X344543, IWW EUC

On Monday, Sept. 22, more than2,500 demonstrators punctuated the400,000-strong Peoples ClimateMarch with a more in-your-face,anti-capitalist protest called FloodWal l Street. Cha nne lin g the IWWsoap-boxes of the Pacic Nothwestduring the lumber strikes of the late1910s, IWW Environmental Union-ism Caucus (EUC) member and co-

founde Elliot Hughes was the st toengage in civil disobedience (and thest aestee). Thanks to one of thedemonstrators we have ample, albeitvery muddy, video and audio footageof the incident. Here is a transcript ofsome of the audio of Fellow Worker(FW) Hughes soapboxing:

Mic Check!!! (mic check!)Imdoing a civil disobedience right now!Im a member of the Industrial Work-ers of the World! We want all workers

to ise up! Take contol of all industy!...And dismantle anything that is unsustain-able! And through workers powerWeneed to dismantle all forms of oppression!Including sexism...racism...homophobia...tansphobia...speciesism...Togethe, wecan build an ecological general strike!To take ove all industies and dismantlecapitalism once and for all!indigenouspeople, who are on the front line, and joinin the struggle against capitalism! Utilize

your privilege and support (to aid thoseon) the front lines!

At this point FW Hughes began lead-

Workers and community supporters rally at Grassroots Cam-paigns Inc. (GCI) headquarters in Portland on Aug. 2.

In November We Remember Penny Pixler

By Shane BurleyOutside of coffee shops and book-

stores, crowded Whole Foods stores andworker-run co-ops nat ionwide , yourebound to nd canvasses asking fo dona-tions or signatures in support of a host of

causes. Theye often young people shak-ing the can fo high-pole non-pots.But as we get deeper into the post-crashprecarious economy, the image of canvass-ers as idealistic college students making afew extra bucks on summer break quicklydisintegrates. People are turning to thisoccupation as their primary source ofincome, according to many active cam-paignes. They ae hied by independently-contracted companies to canvas for non-pots. The quotas ae demanding, makingthe wok one of the most difcult low-wagejobs to hold on to.

In Portland, Ore., one union local hasformed precisely to take on this precari-ous world of street canvassing, and theyare growing at a pace no one could havepredicted.

In early August, the United CampaignWokes (UCW) union, an afliate of the

Portland IWW, announced its secondorganized workplace in its less than twomonths of existencethe first was theCampaign for the Restoration and Regula-tion of Hemp (Portland Canvass Work-ers Walk Off The Job, Demand Unpaid

Wages, September 2014 IW,pages 1 & 7).Canvassers working for Grassroots

Campaigns Inc. (GCI), a third-party con-tractor that does street canvassing andfundraising for progressive non-profitorganizations such as Planned Parenthoodand the Southern Poverty Law Center, in-formed management of their unionizationdive. The union dive began in esponseto what workers say were unsustainableturnover rates from firings and overlycomplicated pay scales.

Acco rding to worker s, GCIs str ictquota system means many workers dontlast past the st few days of canvassing.New hies must bing in $130 in donationsduing at least one of thei st thee dayson the job; otherwise, their probationaryperiod ends in termination. After that,wokes must aveage $130 pe day each

Continued on 6

Photo: ecology.iww.orgFW Elliot Hughes in NYC.

Photo: Michael VincentWobblies, others gather atthe Haymarket Martyrs Monument at Waldheim(Forest Home) Cemetery near Chicago.

ing the crowd in a chant. After a minute,the police demanded that FW Hughes stepdown. FW Hughes stepped down, wherepolice were waiting to detain our fellowworker, even though no crime had beencommitted. FW Hughes raced away fromthe unsuspecting officers, who eventu-ally caught up and then placed our fellowworker in an illegal chokeholdat whichpoint the crowd began chanting Shame!

FW Hughes was arrested, but has since

been released upon bail, which was raisedthanks to the efforts of fellow IWW EUCmembers and supporters.

By Mike HargisWo bb lies , fo rmer Wo bb lies an d

friends of Fellow/Sister Worker PennyPixler, who passed away last spring, gath-ered at the Haymarket Martyrs Monu-ment at Waldheim (Forest Home) Cem-etery in Des Plaines (near Chicago) onLabor Day, Sept. 1, to honor Pennys last

wish to have her ashes scattered there.After several friends and fellow work-

ers shared their memories of Penny, herashes were scattered around the base ofthe monument and at the graves of otherfallen comrades, like Emma Goldman,Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Lucy Parsons andVoltairine de Cleyre.

Photo: FW Carl GreerFW PennyPixlers ashes scattered onElizabeth Gurley Flynns grave.


2/16

Page 2 Industrial Worker November 2014

AsiaTaiwanTaiwan IWW: c/o David Temple, 4 Floor, No. 3, Ln. 67,Shujing St., Beitun Dist., Taichung City 40641 Taiwan.098-937-7029. [email protected]

AustraliaNew South WalesSydney GMB: [email protected]. Laura, del.,[email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]: nor [email protected]: P.O. Box 5842, West End, Qld 4101. [email protected]. Asger, del., [email protected] Australia

Adelaide: [email protected], www.wobbliesSA.org. Jesse, del., 0432 130 082VictoriaMelbourne: P.O. Box 145, Moreland, VIC 3058. [email protected], www.iwwmelbourne.wordpress.com. Loki, del., [email protected]: [email protected] AustraliaPerth GMB: P.O. Box 1, Cannington WA 6987. [email protected]. Bruce, del.,[email protected] Canadian Regional Organizing Committee (CAN-ROC): c/o Toronto GMB, P.O. Box 45 Toronto P, Toronto ON,M5S 2S6. [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 4197, T6E 4T2. [email protected], edmonton.iww.ca.British ColumbiaRed Lion Press: [email protected] GMB: 204-2274 York Ave., V6K 1C6.604-732-9613. [email protected]. www.vancouveriww.comVancouver Island GMB: Box 297 St. A, Nanaimo BC, V9R5K9. iw [email protected]. http://vanislewobs.wordpress.com

ManitobaWinnipeg GMB: IWW, c/o WORC, P.O. Box 1, R3C 2G1.204-299-5042, [email protected] BrunswickFredericton: [email protected],frederictoniww.wordpress.comOntarioOttawa-Outaouais GMB & GDC Local 6: 1106 WellingtonSt., P.O. Box 36042, Ottawa, K1Y 4V3. [email protected],[email protected] Panhandlers Union: Raymond Loomer, interimdelegate, [email protected]: c/o PCAP, 393 Water St. #17, K9H 3L7,705-749-9694. Sean Carleton, del., 705-775-0663,[email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 45, Toronto P, M5S 2S6. 647-741-4998. [email protected]. www.torontoiww.orgWindsor GMB: c/o WWAC, 328 Pelissier St., N9A 4K7.519-564-8036. [email protected]. http://wind-soriww.wordpress.comQubecMontreal GMB: cp 60124, Montral, QC, H2J 4E1. 514-268-3394. [email protected] Regional Administration (ERA): P.O. Box 7593Glasgow, G42 2EX. ww w.iww.org.ukERA Organisation ContactsCentral England Organiser: Russ Spring, central@iww.

org.ukCommunications Department: [email protected]/Wales Organiser: Peter Davies [email protected] of Scotland Organiser: Dek Keenan, [email protected] Officer: Tawanda NyabangoLondon Regional Organiser: Tawanda NyabangoMembership Administrator: Rob Stirling, [email protected] Committee: [email protected] Regional Organiser: Northern Regional Organ-ising Committee, [email protected] Bar and Hospitality Workers IUB 640: [email protected] and Bargaining Support Department:[email protected] and Survey Department: [email protected]: Frank Syratt, [email protected] England Organiser: Nick Ballard, [email protected] Committee: [email protected] Department: [email protected]: Matt Tucker, [email protected] of Scotland Organiser: Keith Millar, [email protected]

Womens Officer: Marion Hersh, [email protected]

ERA BranchesClydeside GMB: [email protected]/Wales GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] & Wear GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: IWW Office, SYAC, 120 Wicker, SheffieldS3 8JD. [email protected] GMB: [email protected] Midlands GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected]

Floris De Rycker, Sint-Bavoplein 7, 2530 Boechout,Belgium. [email protected] Language AreaIWW German Language Area Regional OrganizingCommittee (GLAMROC): IWW, Haberweg 19, 61352 BadHomburg, Germany. [email protected]. www.wobblies.deAustria: [email protected], [email protected]: Offenes Treffen jeden 2.Montag im Monat im CafeCommune, Reichenberger Str.157, 10999 Berlin, 18 Uhr.(U-Bahnhof Kottbusser Tor). Postadresse: IWW Berlin, c/oRotes Antiquariat, Rungestr. 20, 10179 Berlin, [email protected]: [email protected]. iwwbremen.blogsport.deCologne/Koeln GMB: c/o Allerweltshaus, Koernerstr.77-79, 50823 Koeln, Germany. [email protected] - Eurest: IWW Betriebsgruppe EurestHaberweg 19 D- 61352 Bad Homburg. [email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]. www.wobblies-kassel.deMunich: [email protected]: [email protected]. iww-rostock.netSwitzerland:[email protected]

Greece: [email protected], [email protected]: Heimssamband Verkaflks / IWW Iceland,Reykjavkurakademunni 516, Hringbraut 121,107ReykjavkLithuania: [email protected]: iw [email protected] IWW: 004793656014. [email protected]. http://www.iwwnorge.org, www.facebook.com/iwwnorge. Twitter: @IWWnorgeUnited StatesAlabamaMobile: Jimmy Broadhead, del., P.O. Box 160073, [email protected]: Gerald Lunn. 205-245-4622. [email protected] GMB: P. O. Box 80101, 99708. Chris White, d el.,907-457-2543, [email protected]. Facebook: IWWFairbanksArizonaPhoenix GMB: P.O. Box 7126, 85011-7126. 623-336-1062. [email protected] IWW: 206-327-4158, [email protected] Corners (AZ, CO, NM, UT): 970-903-8721, [email protected]: P.O. Box 283, 72702. 479-200-1859.

[email protected] Angeles GMB: (323) 374-3499. [email protected] IWW: 916-825-0873, [email protected] Diego IWW: 619-630-5537, [email protected] Francisco Bay Area GMB: (Curbside and Buyback IU670 Recycling Shops; Stonemountain Fabrics Job Shopand IU 410 Garment and Textile Workers IndustrialOrganizing Committee; Shattuck Cinemas; EmbarcaderoCinemas) P.O. Box 11412, Berkeley, 94712. 510-845-0540. [email protected] 520 Marine Transport Workers: Steve Ongerth, del.,[email protected] Printing: 2412 Palmetto Street, Oakland94602. 510-482-4547. [email protected] Jose: [email protected], www.facebook.com/SJSV.IWWColoradoDenver GMB: c/o Hughes, 7700 E. 29th Avenue, Unit 107,80238. 303-355-2032. [email protected]: John W., del., 914-258-0941. [email protected] DC GMB: P.O. Box 1303, 20013. 202-630-9620. [email protected]. www.dciww.org, www.

facebook.com/dciww

FloridaGainesville GMB: c/o Civic Media Center, 433 S. Main St.,32601. Robbie Czopek, del., 904-315-5292, [email protected], w ww.gainesvilleiww.orgSouth Florida GMB: P.O. Box 370457, 33137. 305-894-6515. [email protected], http://iwwmiami.wordpress.com. Facebook: Miami IWWHobe Sound: P. Shultz, 8274 SE Pine Circle, 33455-6608.772-545-9591, [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 5390, 31107. 678-964-5169,[email protected], www.atliww.orgIdahoBoise: Ritchie Eppink, del., P.O. Box 453, 83701. 208-371-9752, [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 15384, 60615. 312-638-9155,[email protected]

IndianaIndiana GMB: [email protected]. Facebook:Indiana IWWIowaEastern Iowa IWW: 319-333-2476. [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 1462, 66044. 816-875-6060Wichita: Richard Stephenson, del., [email protected] GMB: Mick Parsons, Secretary Treasurer,[email protected]. 502-658-0299LouisianaLouisiana IWW: John Mark Crowder, del, [email protected]. https://www.facebook.com/groups/iw-wofnwlouisiana/MaineMaine IWW: 207-619-0842. [email protected], www.southernmaineiww.org

MarylandBaltimore GMB: P.O. Box 33350, 21218. [email protected] Area GMB: P.O. Box 391724, Cambridge, 02139.617-863-7920, [email protected], www.IW-

WBoston.orgCape Cod/SE Massachusetts: [email protected] Mass. Public Service IU 650 Branch: IWW, P.O.Box 1581, Northampton, 01061

MichiganDetroit GMB: 4210 Trumbull Blvd., 48208. [email protected] Rapids GMB: P.O. Box 6629, 49516. [email protected] Rapids Bartertown Diner and Rocs Cakes: 6Jefferson St., 49503. [email protected], www.bartertowngr.comCentral Michigan: 5007 W. Columbia Rd., Mason 48854.517-676-9446, [email protected] IWW: P.O. Box 3232, 55803. [email protected] Country Food Alliance: 2104 Stevens Ave S, Min-neapolis, 55404. 612-568-4585. www.northcountry-foodalliance.orgPedal Power Press: P.O. Box 3232 Duluth 55803.www.pedalpowerpress.comPhoenix Mental Health, P.L.C.: FW Jeffrey Shea Jones,3137 Hennepin Ave. S., #102, Minneapolis, 55408.612-501-6807Red River GMB: [email protected], [email protected] Cities GMB: 3019 Minnehaha Ave. South, Suite 50,Minneapolis, 55406. [email protected] Kansas City IWW: P.O. Box 414304, Kansas City,64141. 816.875.6060. 816-866-3808. [email protected]. Louis IWW: P.O. Box 63142, 63163. Secretary: [email protected]. Treasurer [email protected] Workers IU 330: Dennis Georg, del., 406-490-3869, [email protected] Rivers IWW: Jim Del D uca, del., 106 Paisley Court,Apt. I, Bozeman 59715. 406-599-2463. [email protected] a GMB: P.O. Box 27811, Ralston, 68127. [email protected]. ww w.nebraskaiww.orgNevadaReno GMB: P.O. Box 12173, 89510. Paul Lenart, del.,775-513-7523, [email protected]

IU 520 Railroad Workers: Ron Kaminkow, del., P.O. Box2131, Reno, 89505. 608-358-5771. [email protected] JerseyCentral New Jersey GMB: P.O. Box 10021, New Brunswick,08906. 732-692-3491. [email protected]. BobRatynski, del., 908-285-5426. www.newjerseyiww.org

Northern New Jersey: 201-800-2471. [email protected]

New MexicoAlbuquerque GMB: P.O. Box 4892, 87196-4892. 505-569-0168, [email protected] YorkNew York City GMB: 45-02 23rd Street, Suite #2, LongIsland City,11101. iw [email protected]. w ww.wobblycity.orgStarbucks Campaign: i [email protected],www.starbucksunion.orgHudson Valley GMB: P.O. Box 48, Huguenot 12746. 845-342-3405. [email protected]. http://hviww.blogspot.comSyracuse IWW: [email protected] NY GMB: P.O. Box 77, Altamont, 12009. 518-861-5627. [email protected] IWW: Brendan Maslauskas Dunn, del., 315-240-3149. [email protected] CarolinaGreensboro: 336-279-9334. [email protected] DakotaRed River GMB: [email protected], [email protected] GMB: c/o Riffe, 4071 Indianola Ave., Columbus43214. [email protected] Ohio GMB: P.O. Box 141072, Cleveland 44114.440-941-0999Ohio Valley GMB: P.O. Box 6042, Ci ncinnati 45206, 513-510-1486, [email protected] Patches Screenprinting: [email protected] IWW: 539-664-6769. [email protected] GMB: Ed Gunderson, del., 541-743-5681. [email protected], www.iwwlane.orgPortland GMB: 2249 E Burnside St., 97214, 503-231-5488. [email protected], portlandiww.orgRed and Black Cafe: 400 SE 12th Ave, Portland, 97214.503-231-3899. [email protected]. www.redandblackcafe.comPrimal Screens Screen Printing: 1127 SE 10th Ave.#160 Portland, 97214. 503-267-1372. [email protected] IWW: P.O. Box 352, 17608. [email protected] Valley GMB: P.O. Box 1477, Allentown, 18105-1477. 484-275-0873. [email protected]. facebook.com/lehighvalleyiwwPaper Crane Press IU 450 Job Shop: 610-358-9496. [email protected], www.papercranepress.comPittsburgh GMB: P.O. Box 5912,15210. [email protected] IslandProvidence GMB: P.O. Box 23067, 02903. [email protected] IWW: Jonathan Beasley, del., 218 S 3rdSt. Apt. 7-6, Clarksville, 37040. [email protected]: Gus Breslauer, del., [email protected]: Houston IWWRio Grande Valley, South Texas IWW: P.O. Box 5456McAllen, Texas 78502. Greg, del., 956-278-5235 orMarco, del., 979-436-3719. [email protected]. www.facebook.com/IWWRGVUtahSalt Lake City GMB: P.O. Box 1227, 84110. 801-871-9057. [email protected]: John MacLean, del., 802-540-2561VirginiaRichmond IWW: P.O. Box 7055, 23221. [email protected], ww w.richmondiww.orgWashingtonBremerton: Gordon Glick, d el., [email protected]: [email protected]. www.bellinghamiww.com. Facebook: Bellingham IWWSeattle GMB: 1122 E. Pike #1142, 98122-3934. 206-429-5285. [email protected]. www.seattleiww.org,www.seattle.netSpokane: P.O. Box 30222, 99223. [email protected] 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. [email protected]. www.Madisoniub560.iww.orgLakeside Press IU 450 Job Shop: 1334 Williamson,53703. 608-255-1800. Jerry Chernow, del., [email protected]. w ww.lakesidepress.orgMadison Infoshop Job Shop:1019 Williamson St. #B,53703. 608-262-9036Just Coffee Job Shop IU 460: 1129 E. Wilson, Madison,53703. 608-204-9011, justcoffee.coopRailroad Workers IU 520: 608-358-5771. [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 342294, 53234. 630-415-7315

Northwoods IWW: P.O. Box 452, Stevens Point, 54481

IWW directoryIndustrial WorkerThe Voice of Revolutionary

Industrial Unionism

ORGANIZATION

EDUCATION

EMANCIPATION

Ofcial newspape of the

INDUSTRIALWORKERS

OFTHEWORLD

Post Ofce Box 180195

Chicago, IL 60618 USA

773.728.0996 [email protected]

GENERALSECRETARY-TREASURER:

Monika Vykoukal

GENERALEXECUTIVEBOARD:

Ryan G., Yvonne Yen Liu,DJ Alperovitz, Michael White,Brian Latour, Jim Del Duca,

Montigue Magruder

EDITOR& GRAPHICDESIGNER:

Diane [email protected]

PROOFREADERS:

Maria Rodriguez Gil,Joel Gosse, Nicki Meie

Jonathan D. Beasley, Jacob Brent,Don Sawye, Neil Pathun,

Skylaar Amann, David Patrick,Chris Heffner, Billy OConnor,

PRINTER:

Globe Direct/Boston Globe MediaMillbury, MA

Next deadline isNovember 7, 2014

U.S. IW mailing address:IW, Post Ofce Box 180195,

Chicago, IL 60618,United States

ISSN 0019-8870Periodicals postage

paid Chicago, IL.

POSTMASTEr:Send addresschanges to IW, Post Ofce Box180195, Chicago, IL 60618 USA

SUBSCrIPTIONSIndividual Subsciptions: $18

Intenational Subsciptions: $30Libay/Institution Subs: $30/yeaUnion dues includes subscription.

Published monthly with the excep-tion of February and August.

Articles not so designated donot reect the IWWs

ofcial position.

Press Date: October 21, 2014

Letters Welcome!Send you lettes to: [email protected] withLetter in the subject.

Mailing Address:Industrial Worker, P.O. Box 180195,Chicago, IL 60618, United States.

Get the Word Out!

IWW members, branches, job shops andothe afliated bodies can get the wodout about their project, event, campaignor protest each month in theIndustrialWorker. Send announcements to [email protected]. Much appreciated donationsfor the following sizes should be sent to:

IWW GHQ, Post Ofce Box 180195,Chicago, IL 60618, United States.

$12 fo 1 tall, 1 column wide$40 fo 4 by 2 columns

$90 fo a quate page

IWW Convention Report: A Call To ActionFriends and Fellow Workers,

I wanted to voice my support for thechallenging piece by Fellow Worker (FW)Maria Parrotta in the October IndustrialWorker (The 2014 IWW Geneal Conven-tion: Learning From Our Mistakes, Mov-ing Forward, pages 1 & 6). I was unableto attend the Convention, so I was eagerlyawaiting a epot back. The dispatch inthe Industrial Worker was very eye

opening. As a male-identifying memberof this union, there were some troublingbehaviors that I was unaware of within thisunion. Perhaps these behaviors are not aproblem in our local branches, or perhapsIm part of the problem in not seeing suchmale dominance around non-male iden-tifying fellow workers. I will certainly besure to have conversations about this issuewith Wobblies of all genders around me,and Ill also nd it impossible to not bevigilant to stop such rude and dismissivebehaviors where I see them.

I had expected to see a simple recap ofwhat had happened in the union. Instead,I received a much more important analysisof where we need to be heading. I wantto thank FW Maria Parrotta for standingup for the dignity of all members and for

writing a much more compelling call toaction to grow the union from the inside.

Yours for the Revolution,Matt Meister x371220

I am seething. It would have been niceto read a report on the business conducted

by this years General Convention in theIWbut instead we were treated to a sub-jective, disjointed rant about how screwedup the IWW is (The 2014 IWW GenealConvention: Learning From Our Mistakes,Moving Forward, October 2014 IW,pages 1 & 6). Now, the autho is cetainlyentitled to her opinion on the state of theIWW but he OPINION is not NEWS. TheIWeditor should have labeled the articleas opinion and certainly should not haveplaced it as news on the front page ourunions newspaper.

Furthermore, the writers character-ization of the Chicago General Member-ship Branch (GMB) as dysfunctional isrich, given that the author admits that herown branch could barely get a quorum atthe meeting where they discussed Conven-

tion esolutions. The Chicago GMB, incontrast, consistently attracts one-third toone-half its local membership to monthlybranch meetings and is engaged in thework of the IWW (i.e. organizing workersat the point of production). We arent per-fect by any means, but I think we functionpretty well, thank you.

The walkout of the Chicago GMB del-egates from the Convention (and I was oneof them) was in protest at the injustice ofbarring a member of our GMB from the

Convention, not for something he did butfor something that people imagined hemight do. After all, an injury to one is aninjuy to all. The IWW cetainly has pob-lems, no one would deny that, but parad-ing them on the front page of theIWjustadds to them. I am greatly disappointedthat the editor of the unions newspapercouldnt produce an article that reportedon the General Convention and, instead,chose to publish a rant that can only leavethe reader with the worst possible impres-sion of the IWW.

If I were not already a member of theIWW (for 42 years now) I would have tothink twice about signing up after readingthis issue of theIW.

For the Works,Mike Hargis, X328826

Convention Report Was ADisjointed, Subjective Rant


3/16

November 2014 Industrial Worker Page 3

__I afm that I am a woke, and that I am not an employe.

__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 woking class and the employingclass have nothing in common. Thee canbe 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 oflife. 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 cente ing of themanagement of industries into fewer andfewer hands makes the trade unions un-able to cope with the ever-growing powerof the employing class. The tade unionsfoster a state of affairs which allows oneset of workers to be pitted against anotherset of workers in the same industry,thereby helping defeat one another inwage wars. Moreover, the trade unionsaid the employing class to mislead theworkers into the belie f that the workingclass have interests in common with theiremployers.

These conditions can be changed andthe interest of the working class upheldonly by an organization formed in such

a way that all its members in any oneindustry, or all industries if necessary,cease work whenever a strike or lockout ison in any department thereof, thus mak-ing an injury to one an injury to all.

Instead of the conservative motto, Afair days wage for a fair days 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 w ithcapitalists, but also to carry on produc-tion when capitalism shall have beenoverthrown. By organizing industriallywe are forming the structure of the new

society within the shell of the old.

TO JOIN:Mail this form with a check or money order for initiationand you st months dues to: IWW, Post Ofce Box 180195, Chicago, IL60618, USA.

Initiation is the same as one months dues. Our dues are calculated

accoding to you income. If you monthly income is unde $2000, duesae $9 a month. If you monthly income is between $2000 and $3500,dues ae $18 a month. If you monthly income is ove $3500 a month, duesae $27 a month. Dues may vay outside of Noth Ameica and in regionalOrganizing Committees (Australia, British Isles, German Language Area).

Membership includes a subscription to the Industrial Worker.

Join the IWW Today

The IWW is a union for all workers, a union dedicated to organizing on thejob, in our industries and in our communities both to win better conditionstoday and to build a world without bosses, a world in which production and

distribution are organized by workers ourselves to meet the needs of the entirepopulation, 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 dividingwokes by tade, so that we can pool ou stength to ght the bosses togethe.

Since the IWW was founded in 1905, we have recognized the need to build atruly international union movement in order to confront the global power of thebosses and in order to strengthen workers ability to stand in solidarity with our fel-low 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 govenment cetication o employe ecognitionbut 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 aound paticula issues o gievances in a specicworkplace, or across an industry.

Because the IWW is a democratic, member-run union, decisions about what is-sues to address and what tactics to pursue are made by the workers directly involved.

IWW Constitution Preamble

Making Our Voices Heard Against Sexism In The IWWFellow Workers,

Many of you have expressed criticismat my decision to publish Fellow Worker(FW) Maia Paottas piece, entitled The2014 IWW General Convention: LearningFrom Our Mistakes, Moving Forward,October 2014 Industrial Worker (IW) ,pages 1 & 6. Those of you who have wit-ten to me, both in letters published in theReaders Soapbox section of this issue(pages 2 & 3) and in pivate messages,have expressed such scrutiny as (1) this ar-ticle should have appeared in the GeneralOrganization Bulletin (GOB) or anotherinternal IWW publication, as theIWis anexternal publication, (2) this article shouldhave been clearly labeled as an opinionpiece and not news, and (3) this piecewas too corrosive and does not appeal topotential fellow workers who we are tryingto organize. I will explain why I made thedecision to publish this piece on the frontpage of the newspaper, and I encourageany fellow workers or subscribers whoagree or disagree with my decision to writeletters explaining your opinions, and I willgladly consider publishing these as well.

Let me just say, st and foemost,that while I respect the aforementionedcriticisms, I made the editorial decisionto publish this piece on the front page,just as I publish other pieces that expressindividuals opinions on the front page andevery page of each issue of the paper. Asyou will read on the masthead of page 2of every issue, Articles not so designateddo not eect the IWWs ofcial position.This implies that each aticle is not objec-tive journalism at all, but is very much theopinion of each autho. The aticles thatappear in theIWare written by workers,fo wokes, and, as such, will eect theiopinions. You will see many examples ofthis from male authors as welleven in an

article by FW db, which appeared in thevey issue we ae discussing (New SuveyOf Online IWW Sign-Ups: A Wake-Up CallAnd Call To Action, OctobeIW, page 3).His piece includes strong opinions relatedto sexism in the union, and provides simi-

lar internal criticism on thesame problems that FW Ma-ia identies in he piece. Theonly difference in FW dbspiece, and the reason I be-lieve folks have not expressedsuch strong opposition ofmy decision to publish hispiece on page 3, is that it waswitten by a male-identiedauthor. I encourage fellowworkers to take a step backand think about why they didnot have the same reaction tohis piece. Perhaps it speaks tothe very nature of the prob-lem that FW Maia identies.

I believe that giving a prominent voiceto a female delegate attending he stConvention is essential for providing allmembers and potential members witha fresh perspective on what the union isdoing right and what the union is doingwong. FW Maia is cetainly not the stperson to voice harsh but valid critiques ofsexism in the union, but shes one of thest who was given a pominent voice in

union media, instead of being relegatedto an email list or on the back pages of aGOB, which would only serve to neutralizeher opinion. We are a member-run unionfor all workers, and, as such, we have adiversity of opinions and perspectives. Ichose to publish her piece for everyoneto read, understand and be able to learnfrom together.

How can we call ourselves a demo-cratic organization if we want to shut outthe voices of those who are critical? FWMaria is a member of the working classas much as the guys on the factoy ooare. Sometimes its not just about what ap-peals, its about being honest and transpar-ent about who we are as an organization.

This openness should not be hidden fompotential members out of fear it wont ap-peal to them, as theyll vey quickly ndout about our problems as soon as theyjoin and possibly quit shortly thereafter. Idont say this to be cynical, I say this as a

very deeply-rooted concern,because we havebeen alien-ating many, many non-malefellow workers in recentyears due to sexism, and thisneeds to change.

In my eight-and-a-halfyears as a member of thisorganization, I have seencountless active, passionatewo me n an d ge nd er no n-conforming fellow workersdrop out one-by-one, all forsimilar reasons: they werepushed out after having toba tt le th ro ug h a le ng thycharges process involving

male harassment, or they got sick of be-ing constantly interrupted, put down, andnot taken seriously by many of the malefellow workers in the groups with whichthey worked, and when they did speakup and power through, they were overly-scrutinized in the same way that I am beingfor publishing this piece and that Maria isbeing for writing it.

If we are to move forward as a revo-

lutionary organization, it is time we startacting like one. This means not only pat-ting ourselves on the back for our hard-fought struggles against the bosses butbeing able to openly recognize that we arenot perfect; however, there are consciousthings we can do to better ourselves andour organization. Highlighting the voicesof those in the union who are marginalizedis one of those things. If fellow workers arescared to do this or feel that publicizingthese criticisms will not further our cause,I uge you to eect on what Ive said andask yourself why. Until we get comfortablewith self-criticism and hearing the voicesof our marginalized membership, we willcontinue to function on the periphery of

the left, the fringes of the labor move-ment, and alienating even to the peoplewho believe in the principles of the IWW.

Solidarity,Diane Krauthamer

Industrial WorkerEditor

Graphic: -Myriad-

Participate In The2014 IWW

Organizing Survey!

The IWW Survey & Research

Committee (SRC)part of the

Organizing Department Boardhas

just launched our 2014 member

survey at: http://bit.ly/Yg2SwA.

We hope you can take 5 to 10 min-

utes of your time to complete this

survey and to share it with as many

of your fellow workers as possible.

Paper copies are also available

upon request.

The information you share with

us is vital to moving forward with

organizing efforts around the world.

This year, we are especially focused

on understanding where fellow

workers are organizing, as well as

past efforts and future goals. The

more comprehensive this survey is

(i.e. the more people who respond!),

the better we will be able to plan

strategically and provide necessary

trainings and resources.

If you have any questions, con-

cerns, or feedback about the survey

or are otherwise interested in the

work of the SRC,

please contact us

at [email protected].

org.

For the

One Big Union,

The IWW SRC

I strongly support the articles pub-lished in theIWon addressing patriarchyand on the saddening behavior of a fewof my fellow workers at the IWW GeneralConvention. As a woke afliated withthe Chicago branch, Ive watched as dis-senting voices have been harassed andthreatened within this branch for theircriticism of statements and actions thatharm our cause.

If a worker is made to feel unsafewithin their union, this hurts our credibil-ity as a movement to look up to, and drivesaway people in need of representationand solidarity. Union members deservethe opportunity to talk about oppressive

behavior they see within their branch, justas they deserve this opportunity withinthe workplace, and this has to include theright to speak to their fellow workers inthe absence of those who have acted inthreatening ways.

Instead, these voices within the Chi-cago branch have been driven out of theconversation, and the policies of the IWWhave been used as a tool for protecting theconnected rather than a tool for self-im-povement. The labo movement is moeimportant than ever, and it is our dutyto become more inclusive so that everywoke can nd a safe space to oganizeand realize her rights.

An injury to one is an injury to all, and

after the discouragement Ive felt watch-ing the Chicago branch from within, I amprofoundly relieved to see that the IWWas a whole understands and lives by thisprinciple.

Daniel Miller

An Injury To One Is

An Injury To All


4/16


Three Ways To Win Your IWW CampaignBy Daniel Gross

The IWW has made damatic stides inthe last decade, returning to its roots as aneffective and transformative labor union.Unique campaigns in diverse industrieshave won important gains for workers andsignicantly inuenced the boade labomovement. Still, the building of endur-ing worker-led and operated industrialunions, a founding mandate of our union,

has not yet been fully realized.With the IWWs strong recent track

record, unparalleled experience in rank-and-file organizing, and rich learningsfrom our work, we are positioned to getto the next level of building durable in-dustrial unions to scale.

Here are three ways we can get to thenext level:

1) Take a step back. Too manyWobbly campaigns start with a group ofworkers deciding they are going to talk totheir co-workers and organize their shop.The idea is afte the shop o chain is oga-nized, they will then gue out how to o -ganize the industy. Thisapproach is not working

beca use a shop is not asignificant unit in oureconomy; industries are.

Instead of jumpingright in to organize yourshop, take a step backand look at your industry. Your job as anIWW organizer is to organize your shop,but more so, it is to co-found a success fulindustrial union of workers in your indus-try. Understand the industry, its workers,employers, customers, investors, supplychain, distribution, and so forth. Build amodel to win in the industry, including atyour job.

Once you have taken a step back youmight decide that your industrial unionbuilding effort actually should start withorganizing your shop or chain, and that istotally ne. You will have the oadmap todo it right and the missions clarity in thatyour ultimate project is to build an effec-tive industrial union. On the other hand,you might decide on a totally different pathinto an industry that at the moment doesnot diectly involve you employe. Thatis ne, too, as then you have just avoidedyears of misdirected effort.

It is completely understandable towant to get the ball olling, ght injusticeat you shop o company, and then gueout the bigger picture as you go. But, bytaking a step back you will avoid the fatethat has felled many Wobbly campaignsand instead, you will be investing in big,

durable victories to come.2) Get clarity on your strategy.

Many IWW campaigns have faltered forlack of a viable strategy or even a lack ofany articulated strategy. We need to learnstrategy-making in the IWW. Withoutfinding a strategy that works for yourindustrial union building effort, the mostcourageous and hard-fought efforts willbe beaten.

The two essential questions to fomu-late strategy are: where will we struggleand how will we win? Where to strugglemeans things like which industry, sector,geographic location, employers, or otherstakeholders that will be our focus. Howto win means the unique choices we make

to achieve our winning objective in theeld of stuggle we have picked. These twostrategy questions are adapted from thework of bus iness school professor RogerMatin, which we modied in New Yokfor use in worker organizations. A goodway to start practicing with the where tostruggle and how to win questions isto apply them to various worker organiz-ing campaigns that you are familiar with,successful and unsuccessful, inside andoutside the IWW.

More than anything, your strategymust assert the power you will need towin you demands. Asseting sufcientpowe is extemely difcult and will notcome from generic formulations. Eachindustrial union effort will have to do its

own thinking about this question. Differ-ent industries, sectors, workers, employersand geographies pose varied challengesand opportunities for power assertion.Always inclu de second ary targets orinuences in you analysis. A commonsuccess factor for many worker organizingcampaigns has been the ability to movethose stakeholders.

Several IWW campaigns today have

only an employer-level strategy, which isrelated to the need to step back, which Ihave discussed. Do not fall into that trap.The mission is to build an industial unionand that requires a cascade of strategiesbeyond your shop or employer.

Many industrial union building ef-forts will need an overall organizationalstrategy, an industry-level strategy, asector-level strategy, and an employer-level strategy. You will answer the whereto struggle and how to win question foreach level. And each level is interrelated.

You should be able to write down thecore of each strategy level in the ballpark

of 25 wods o less. Thisshort statement will not

replace a strategic plan;but, the best engines ofpower assertion are ame-nable to simple and briefarticulation. It is mucheasier to remember and

align a team of founding fellow workersaround 25 words than it is 25 pages.

Scared you will assess and test severalstrategies but still choose the wrong path?You probably will. However, with a systemfor regular strategy reviews and the willto keep the struggle alive, you will adjustuntil you find the strategy that works.And adjust again if it stops working. Witheffective strategy-making, you and otherworkers will see big and game-changingresults in IWW organizing.

3) Build a model.A strategy to win isnecessay but not sufcient to ceate an in-dustrial union. In casual conversation, weoften interchange strategy and model. Wecannot afford to make that mistake in thehigh-stakes and incedibly difcult pojectof founding an industrial union. Strategy isa component of an organizational model.A model includes all of your organizationsfundamental building blocks and how theyinterlace.

Which set of workers in the industrywill you and your fellow workers seek outst? What channels will you pioitizeto reach those workers? How will leadersdevelop?

If you are able to successfully assert

powe, what mechanism will use to deneand hold the gains you win? A collectivebargaining agreement? A code of conductwith large bra nds? A non-contractualstandard, which was for example IWWLocal 8s appoach on the Philadelphiawaterfront?

How will you tie the value created bythe industrial union to being a memberof the organization? How will you retainmembers? What will you measure to seeif your vision is making progress in themessy world of reality?

These ae some key questions thata model must seek to answer and test.Though inteelated with stategy, hope-fully, it is clear they require their own

thinking and formulation. It takes a com-plete model for an industrial union to win,scale and endure.

Like strategy, the model almost neverwoks ight off the bat and that is ne. Thekey is to dialogue, debate, and documentyour model as founding co-workers andto stay alive. You will ene the modelas you go and even transform it dramati-cally if needed. When it does click you willchange your industry and your workplace,and maybe even the labor movement andthe world.

A member of the New York City IWW,Daniel Gross founded the worker centerBrandworkers and helped laun ch theIWW Starbucks Workers Union while hewas a barista at the company.

Graphic: Mike Konopacki

For the UnknownFor the numberless, unrecorded workers who have been

killed in the struggle, beaten, starved, driven mad, impris-

oned, had their houses burnt, their families terrorized; forthe workers who have been thrown off trains, driven out

of work, ridden out of town; for the workers who have

striven and sacrifced without recognition, whose names

we no longer know, who gave up everything so that we

might have a better day and a chance at freedom, and did

not back down. May we be worthy of them.

We never forget

Vancouver Island GMB (Canada)


5/16


Wobbly & North American News

By the Baltimore IWWBaltimore Jimmy Johns worker and

vetean James Hegle was ed on Sept. 5in retaliation for organizing a union at hisworkplace and participating in concertedactivity against low wages and appallingworking conditions. On Sunday, Oct. 19,workers and supporters picketed outsidethe Pratt Street Jimmy Johns to demand

both the reinstatement of James Heglerand an end to illegal retaliation againstworkers.

By ing James, Jimmy Johns man-agement made it clear that they are will-ing to violate federal labor law in order topunish workers for organizing a union.By ignoring attempts to meet and discussterms for his reinstatement, Jimmy Johnsmanagement hopes to break the organiz-ing drive through intimidation and con-tempt fo the National Labo relations Act(NLrA). Wokes esponded with a picketto show Jimmy Johns that this behaviorwill not be tolerated.

In addition to the picket held, theunion is also ling an unfai labo pac-tice charge against Jimmy Johns andfranchise owners Dolchin Pratt LLC overJames ing. This chage will be head bythe National Labo relations Boad, alongwith six other counts of illegal retaliationagainst workers engaged in protected

union activity.Whe n Jimmy Johns fir ed Ja mes

Hegler, they put an American veteran onthe street in direct contradiction of theirpledge to support American military fami-lies. In July, Jimmy Johns gave a donationto Folds of Honor, stating, Jimmy Johnsis proud to be an American company andis privileged to aid families of veterans.

On Oct. 19, workers demanded that JimmyJohns stand by their pledge to supportmilitary families by reinstating James withfull back wages.

In the city of Baltimore, where thelow-wage service sector has grown rapidly,campaigns such as the one underway atJimmy Johns have massive potential.Labors share of income has been rapidlystolen from working people at the sametime that the low-wage service sector hasbeen pulling in ecod pots. New effotsto bring justice to this sector are becomingmore and more necessary in light of thegross inequalities and stunting povertypresent in the city and across the country.The IWW sees the cuent effots at JimmyJohns as an important part of this largerstruggle.

The campaign in Baltimoe is the sec-ond franchise in the company to go publicas the IWW Jimmy Johns Workers Union,the st being Minneapolis in 2010.

By the Vancouver IWWMembers of the Vancouver, British

Columbia and Bellingham, Wash. IWW

branches met at the PeaceArch on the British Colum-bia/Washington border onSaturday, Sept. 20 to par-ticipate in the weekendsinternational climate action.

It was a great oppor-tunity to discuss labor is-sues and organizing in ourregion. It was inspiring tohear from a diverse groupof speakers, several of whomdirectly tied industrial capi-talism to the climate crisis.Another world is possible. A

special thanks to The Wildeness Com-mittee for organizing transportation tothe event.

IWW Branches Raise Money For Sato FundBy the Toronto GMB

In Novembe, the IndustialWorkers of the World (IWW) honorthose who fought, and often died, inthe class struggle. Figures such asAugust Spies, Joe Hill, Wesley Everestand Karen Silkwood stand tall in ourminds, but there are so many otherswho struggled for progress and do not

receive the same level of attention.This past summe, the Toonto

General Memership Branch (GMB)of the IWW initiated a fund raiser inmemory of Charlene Charlie Sato(1951-1996). Charlie was a profes-sor of linguistics at the University ofHawaii, and a member of the OahuGMB of the IWW. Upon her death, shebequeathed a donation to the IWWto establish a fund dedicated to helpwomen with travel costs in order toattend the Geneal Assembly. Thisfund has since evolved into a bursaryprogram dedicated to providing cis-gender women, transgender womenand men, and gender non-conforming

fellow workers with travel funding inorder to increase their representa-tion and participation throughoutthe union.

The banches that paticipated in-clude Indiana, Twin Cities, Potland,and Toonto. The deadline was set foSept. 30, and the competition was on!Everything from socials, clothing swapsand assessments were used to raise funds.Afte the nal tally, the winning banchwas the Twin Cities GMB!

As the winning branch, a group photowill be displayed on the cover of the Ca-nadian Organizing Bulletin and the

General Organization Bulletin (internalpublications of the IWW) and they willreceive bragging rights for a year (thoselucky people). Heres a count on the totalraised:

Toronto GMB: $715Twin Cities GMB: $850Portland GMB: $100Indiana GMB: $61.58Congatulations to the Twin Cities

GMB, and everyone who helped raisemoney!

By the New York City GMBOn Oct. 5, Taiwan IWW membe and

student labor activist Catta Chou visitedthe New Yok City Geneal MembeshipBranch (GMB) to give a fascinating pre-sentation on cuent Taiwanese social

movements. In her talk, called SmallPogess, Big Stuggles in TaiwansSocial Movements, she discussedthe state of the labor movement inthe country as well as several recentworker and migrant organizing andsolidarity campaigns in which shehas participated. Chou also had apesonal ght of he own, a highlyvisible and successful campaign torecover her unpaid wages from astudent-work program in Australia.

Chou also gave a critical overviewof the Sunflower Revolution inwhich students occupied the nations

Parliament for a month earlier this year toprotest a proposed free trade agreement

with China. She led a discussion aboutthe current Occupy protests in Hong Kongand dew some paallels to the Taiwanesemovement.

Jimmy Johns Workers Picket In Baltimore

Discussing Taiwan Social Movements In NYC

Climate Change Knows No Borders

Photo: Erick CrashCatta Chou is Portland.

Graphic: FW Kelly Flynn

Photo: Baltimore IWWWobblies from D.C., Baltimore picket Jimmy Johns on Oct. 19.

Photo: ecology.iww.orgVancouver & Bellingham Wobs.

By John KalwaicIn August, Maria

Fenandes, a 32-yea-old woman fom New-ak, N.J., suffocated

while slee ping in hercar, which was stillrunning. Fernandeshad four jobs, two ofwhich were working attwo separate DunkinDonuts. According toreports, she lived outof her car and alwayscarried an extra tank ofgas because she wouldsometimes run out. A911 call was made andthen the emergency medical technicianscame to the car and found all the windowsand doors closed. When they opened thedoor, they were hit with noxious fumes and

found Fernandes dead.

This tagedy couldhave been avoided ifMaria Fernandes hadnot been working somany jobs, desperately

trying to make endsmeet. Paying workersless does not result inmore jobs for morewo rke rs but ra th ercauses the same work-ers to have to workmore than one job.If one of Fernandesjobs paid a living wage,other people could havehad the other three jobsshe worked. Having to

neglect self-care is also a side effect ofemployment without a break, which ledto this tragedy. Maria Fernandes was onlytrying to take a nap.

With les from The Sta-Ledge.

Overworked Woman Dies Sleeping In Her Car

Photo: nj.comMaria Fernandes.

By Kenneth MillerBlack Friday, the biggest shopping

day of the yea, the day afte Thanksgiv-ing, is a big day for consumer awarenessand wokes ights. The stoes ae lledwith workers while consumers wrap-around the store in long lines. It is knownas Buy Nothing Day, andthat is a wonderful way to cel-ebrate our anti-consumerism

and protest bad working con-ditions.For the third consecutive

ye ar , the Ja me s Conn ol lyUpstate New Yok regionalGeneral Membership Branch(GMB) of the Industrial Work-ers of the World will be pub-lishing their anti-sweatshopnewsletter, Black Cat Moan,for distribution on Black Friday 2014.It will include solidarity messages andspecic factoy and etail infomationfom the National Gament WokesFederation of Bangladesh. It will explainhow to carry out an unfair labor practicestrike and have news about which unionsare organizing retail workers.

The Upstate New Yok GMB has beenprotesting against sweatshops and talk-ing to baseball fans about sweatshopsin Coopestown, N.Y. at the NationalBaseball Hall of Fame for nearly a de-cade. Thei expeience with the wokes,the consumers, security, and the Major

League Baseball executivesand agents on the streets ofCooperstown is completely

similar to the experiencetalking to baseball fans aboutsweatshops at PNC Pak inPittsburgh, or in Milwau-kee or Arizona, or 100 othermajor and minor league ballparks.

Greg Giorgio, editor ofBlack Cat Moan, chairs theIWWs Bangladesh Working

Committee, where he bottom lines theIWWs coespondence with the NationalGarment Workers Federation of Bangla-desh. Please call Geg at 518-861-5627and learn how you can have hundreds ofthe Black Friday 2014 edition of BlackCat Moanfor distribution in your work-place o school on Fiday, Nov. 28, 2014.

Fighting For Workers This Black Friday

Photo: Kenneth Miller

Cake commemorat-ing the 2012 Tazreenfactory re disaster.


6/16


Front Page News

Portland IWW Battles With Non-Profits Over Union BustingContinued from 1week. Workers say the policy causes sucha high turnover rate that few canvassers orsupervisors have more than a few weeksexperience (GCI Regional Director EliseStuewe said via email that this turnoverate and the difculty of meeting quotasare vastly overstatedthough its true

this is a challenging job thats not foreveryone).

After GCI workers informed manage-ment of their organizing campaign, theyasked to sit down and negotiate terms.Management refused, and instead, work-ers say, instituted a hiring freeze, whichthey believe was intended to keep newworkers from being recruited by the union.Previously, they say, hiring was a constantpocess at the Potland GCI ofce, witheld manages epoting 6 to 10 new hiesweekly. The hiing feeze was set to belifted in mid-August.

The case is diffeent fom most union-ization efforts, as UCW workers havechosen not to seek a contact o le fo a

National Labo relations Boad (NLrB)election. Because of the high turnover rateand wokes lack of condence that GCIwould maintain neutrality during cardcheck, the workers are instead using theold-school tactic of solidarity unionism.A form of organizing that dominated be-fore unions had institutional recognitionthough the NLrB, solidaity unionismmeans the demands of workers are en-forced only through the actions workerscan take in response to management,athe than NLrB sanctions (althoughtheir right to organize as a union is stilllegally protected). As a result, workershave fewer limitations on direct actionthan in a traditional organizing drive: theycan legally strike and take other actions atany point.

Right now, the union is leveragingpublic pressure. On Aug. 2, workers andcommunity supporters of the organizingdrive rallied in front of the GCI headquar-ters in Portland, calling for the company tobe held accountable for its labor practices.

Im out here [rallying in front of GCI]because I have worked with GCI for overa year, and the turnover is absolutelyunacceptable, said union member andGCI canvasser Haley Boyd. People areundertrained for their jobs and they aredisespected. The esult is that when we goout there to talk to people about organiza-tions like the Planned Parenthood ActionFund, ACLU [American Civil Liberties

Union], [and] The Natue Consevancy, weare giving a bad impression on the whole.

Workers allege that, despite companypolicy mandating 90 minutes of trainingfor new hires during the probationary pe-riod, new employees are given only about30 minutes of in-ofce taining about can-vassingoften without sufcient infoma-tion about individual campaignsbeforegoing out into the eld, which means theycannot fully represent the organizationsthey are raising funds for. Managementmaintains that the stated policy is en-forced, and that new employees receivean hou of taining each day afte the st.

Uncertain wages, too, are a majorsticking point for canvassers. Workers say

theyre unsure what wages they can expectin a given week. GCI offers a base pay ofminimum wage in addition to nancialincentives fo eaching a quota of $130 indonations per day, on average, over thecouse of a ve-day weekwhich the vastmajority of workers do not.

Workers say that about one-third ofthe uctuating wokfoce in thei Potlandlocation is older than 25, and many can-vassers rely on the job as their sole sourceof household income.

Additionally, workers say that health-care and sick leave are not always avail-able, even when they should be. We havehad people in our union canvassing onthe street through very serious medicalconditions because our employer never

informed any of its employees weve beenaccruing paid sick leave since January 1,notes canvasser Andrew Lee. We alsohave several members of our union [say]that upon applying, they were required torefuse the healthcare that the companyoffered as a condition of employment.

No ones employment has eve been

conditioned on refusing healthcare, saysStuewe. Thee may be confusion ovenotices handed out to newly hired staffas part of complying with the AffordableCare Act.

Wokes conm that they eceivedpackets about the Affordable Care Act,but maintain that they were instructed tocheck the refusal of healthcare box.

In addition, former employee MandieGavitt claims that workers were promisedpromotions they never received and thatshe and several co-workers were termi-nated after trying to raise the issues withmanagement. [GCI] needs to be held ac-countablebecause when I complained tothem, they didnt do anything, she says.

Canvassers say they are galled by theiony of advocating fo non-pots whenthey themselves dont receive fair treat-ment.

We are campaigning for sustain-ability, but we dont have sustainablejobs, says Lee. We are campaigning forwomens healthcare, but we are lied toabout healthcare in our own workplace.

At the Aug. 2 action, workers and al-lies enteed the GCI campaign ofce andread a list of demands to their manager:healthcae, ovetime, sick leave, a $15hourly base pay for workers, an exemp-tion fom quotas fo the st two weeksof employment, a revised quota system,adequate training for new hires, propertaining fo eld manages, teminationsonly for just cause, and regular meetingsbetween management and the union.

Workers had hoped the Aug. 2 com-munity action would be enough to coaxmanagement to deal with the union di-rectly, but the instability that has markedtheir tenure at GCI has extended to thetalks as well. They have also matched thiswith collective call-ins from supportersfrom around the country and even a soli-darity action from IWW members at GCIsBoston headquarters.

The way that a lot of us look at itis that we have no job security already,says Lee. Ive been in the ofce aboutthree weeks; Im one of the longest-termemployees there now. I have seen over

70 [to] 80 pecent of the people wokingthee when I was hied be ed since then.Of course, theres always the risk that ouremployer will retaliate against us illegally,but I think a lot of us have been so sup-portive of this organizing and so involved.

Management told the workers thatGCIs regional director would be meetingwith the workers on Aug. 6 to begin nego-tiations but have since refused to recog-nize the union without an NLrB election.Workers responded to the decision with acommunity rally in front of the local GCIofce at the close of business on Aug. 7.They had planned to meet with GCI staffas they left fo the day. The manages inquestion, however, refused to leave the

building with the workers present.The wokes came togethe and o-

ganized a follow-up action, now claiming100 percent of the current non-managerialstaff at GCI being with the union. The vastmajority of these workers are new to theunion and to the labor movement broadlybut are taking a lead as the campaigncontinues. On Aug. 13, a ally fomed infront of GCI with almost 40 workers andcommunity suppotes. They allied withchants directed at management and waitedfor workers to get off for the day, all ofwhom joined the rally and spoke out abouttheir conditions.

One worker, a single parent, discussedhow she was forced to work with a concus-sion and damaged eye because GCI did not

inform her about her legally-mandatedsick leave. Because it is obviously difcultto fundraise with a bloody eye I did not doso well and did not meet quota that week,she said. The following week manage-ment put me on review. I nearly lost myjob. This is he pimay income that sheuses to raise her daughter, and her ability

to do so was put into question as a directresult of managements withholding of sickleave information.

Workers then led the attendees up thestais into the ofce whee they banged onthe door, demanding that managementopen up and listen to their demands.Management refused and instead hidwhile workers chan ted and continu edknocking aggressively. After it becameclear that they were not going to be al-lowed in to discuss terms, the rally wentoutside and waited for management toleave for the day. For the next four hours,management continued to cower insideinstead of heading to their cars. Workersled IWW songs, played games and did a

limbo competition to keep up peoplesspirits as they attempted to wait out thebosses. Afterwards , several unfair laborpactice complaints wee led, most citingintimidation.

To show that the union had completeworker support , they staged a persona lvote. The vote was held anonymously, anda third party participated in the vote countto ensure neutrality, though it was notdone though the NLrB pocess. Manage-ment refused to discuss the conditions orrecognize the union even after this processand, in a move that illustrates the pettinessof their union-busting tactics, had workersclock out for the 15 minutes it took for theunion ballots to be cast and counted.

Once the eld manage etuned fomher vacation, workers surprised her withanother rally that brought out dozens ofsupporters. On Aug. 27, a large mobiliza-tion attempted to again ente the ofceto negotiate with management, and theassistant manager refused to allow anyoneinto the ofce.

Workers have stated the repressioncontinued as management began usingthe complicated quota system to threatenspecific workers jobs, which has beeninterpreted as retaliation for union activ-ity. One worker organizer, Laryssa, whohad been incredibly active during thecampaign, had her job put into a precari-ous place. Like many workers, when hernumbers drifted downward, she was put

on review. As the numbers returned tonormal, Laryssa got taken off review, butlater management recanted this and saidthat the review period had never ended.The union oganized an emegency call-in, in which supporters and fellow unionmembes called into GCI and The NatueConservancy to declare disgust at the al-leged retaliation.

As The Natue Consevancy becamethe sole contact with the Potland ofceof GCI, attention began to be paid to themand their relationship with their fundrais-ing wing. An action was organized on Sept.9 where canvass workers and supportersenteed The Natue Consevancy to eada letter to the key manager in charge of

fundraising. In the letter, workers dis-cussed their conditions and pay, and askedThe Natue Consevancy to put pessueon GCI to negotiate with the union. Themanager who was present listened intentlyand noted that the workers had completelyvalid concerns and that this informationwould go to the correct channels internalto The Natue Consevancy. This was themost receptive response that UCW mem-bers have received since the beginning ofthe campaign, and workers made it clearthat they did not want The Natue Conse-vancy to cut its contract with GCI and to in-stead force them to negotiate in good faithwith the union constituency. Managementalso noted that it sounded like GCI wasnot even living up to the contracts that it

had signed with The Natue Consevancy,not to mention violating basic labor laws.

Though claiming that thei hiingfreeze was over, GCI has failed to addstaff at any comparable rate as before.Many workers are interpreting this as thebeginning of GCI closing up shop in theirPotland ofce, which is a common union-

busting tactic that other canvassing shipshave used in the past.

Even against what the workers asked,The Natue Consevancy decided to pulltheir contract with GCI in response toGCIs treatment of workers. GCI, in re-sponse, did exactly what workers fearedthey would: they closed up the Portlandlocation entirely. Workers came in onSept. 17 for a regular work day and weretold they would all be ed immediately,and they only received pay for the week.Wokes decided to confont The NatueConservancy about their turn of face bymaching into thei ofces on the sameday as the mass termination.

Ove seveal actions at The Natue

Conservancy, workers demanded a clearanswer to why the contract was pulledeven though they explicitly asked for it tobe maintained. On Sept. 25 workers en-tered their location to demand that uppermanagement at The Natue Consevancycall their former employer and put pres-sure on them to give the workers a fairseveance pay. Though the staff on site saidthat they were sympathetic, as workerschallenged them and refused to leave, themanagement would not take any actionsand passed the responsibility to other staffpeople. Workers returned the followingday, hoping to confront the person whopulled the plug on the contract directly.

As the workers entered the building,management and campaign directors wereready and waiting, with a letter written byKaie Valvo, the Conservancys Director ofCanvassing Programs. In the letter shefeigned interest in the workers plight, yetrepeatedly stressed that nothing would bedone about it. We understand your posi-tion but TNC [The Natue Consevancy]does not have the ability to solve your is-sues, she wote. Potest at TNC will notresult in pressure on GCI to agree to yourdemands.

Workers decided to call her while inthe ofce, putting he on speake phoneto confront her and the staff in the of-ce simultaneously. Both epeated theistance of non-involvement and said thatthey would be prohibited from making a

call to GCI and stating that they supportedseveance pay fo the wokes. They pe-sisted that pulling the contract from GCI inPortland was not due to union activity butinstead because of a decline of donationscoming in and of recruitment practicesat GCI that annoyed some larger donors.

Even though the workers at the GCIPortland may have lost their jobs perma-nently, they are refusing to back downfom what has become a substantial ghtfor a union in the canvassing industry.They ae going to continue to put pessueon GCI and their contracting clients na-tionally. UCW is also putting a call out forother IWW locals to prioritize canvassingwok, GCI specically, when ceating o-

ganizing priorities. Because of the natureof this canvassing work, and the politicalnature of many of the existing IWW mem-bers hip, it serves to reas on that manyIWW members are already intersectingwith these predatory canvass ing shops.This makes the IWW a pefect candidateto take the UCW campaign national andto look at organizing GCI shops in differ-ent cities simultaneously. Unlike manycampaign-specific canvassing projects,GCI is contracted for fundraising con-sistently throughout the year and can bea company that is an ongoing target forunion agitation.

This piece rst appeared on Aug. 13,2014 in In These Times. It was reprintedwith permission from the author.


7/16


2244..0000//ccooppyy


55..0000//ccooppyy

55..0000//ccooppyy

rreemmeemmbbeerr6688ddffrr..wwoorrddpprreessss..ccoomm


8/16




9/16






10/16


1100..0000//ggllaassss

SSppeecciiaallGGiifftt--SSeett 3322..0000//sseettooff44

4455..0000

LL..XXLLaannddXXXXLLoonnllyy

IIWWWW

PP..OO..BBooxx118800119955

CChhiiccaaggoo,, IILL6600661188

ssttoorree..iiwwww..oorrgg


11/16


In November We Remember

A Recap Of Some Teacher-Student Education Struggles In 2014By John Kalwaic

Students Protest Cutting the Build-ing Trades Program

In March 2014, the school board ofOttawa Township High School in Illinoiswas talking about cutting the shop andbuilding tades pogam and ing its in-

structor, Dave Kelly, allegedly due to a lackof attendance and a budget decit. Aound130 students took issue with the fact thattheir shop classes were being canceled andoganized potests. The students staged asit-in at the school administatos ofce;they made the point that other projects,like the $2 million gym emodeling pojectand giving each student an iPad, were notscally wise. The students wee odeed toleave and go back to class; the ones thatrefused were suspended and barred fromattending the prom.

When the media heard about this, thebuilding trades union leaders decided tosupport the students against the cuts tothe industrial arts and building trades

program. Another person that came to thestudents defense was Mike Rowe, formerhost of the television show Dirty Jobs.Rowe attended protests, though it is im-potant to note that he has come unde ea few times from unions for doing Walmartads. The students have community sup-pot, including fom unions. The stugglestill continues in Ottawa.

Students Rally Behind Fired UnionScience Teacher

In April 2014 a science teacher, GregSchiller, was suspended from Ramn C.Cortines School of Visual and PerformingArts in down town Los Ange les . Schi l-ler was a well-loved science teacher andfencing coach who the students greatly

respected. He was allegedly suspendedbecause a student made an invention for ascience fair that the administration consid-

ered as a weapon. In reality it was simplya kind of catapult that shot foam rubberout of a tube using ai. The administationthought that the science fair invention wasdangerous and put Schiller on suspendedleave. Schiller claimed that the sciencepojects wee conscated befoe he had achance to inspect or grade them.

Schiller was also very active in theteaches union, United Teaches Los An-geles (UTLA), and was the teache unionrepresentative at the school. Some parentsand teachers suspect that was the realeason he was ed. The students stateda movement to get Schiller reinstated. Stu-dents have had several rallies to that end,holding signs and t-shirts with Schillersiconic mustache and goatee on it sayingeinstate Schille. The students alsolaunched a Facebook page, which received1,130 likes. Eventually, Schille was ein-stated after the wave of community sup-pot fom students, paents and the UTLA.

Students Protest for Teachers and

Against White-Washing HistoryIn September 2014, a new schoolboard was elected in Jefferson County inColorado, which had a very reactionarytake on education. The school boad of-cials wanted to do away with anythingthat made the United States look bad,including any reference to slavery andpotest movements. These subjects weeeliminated or at least deemphasized. Inits place the students were to learn patri-otic history, learning the values of freeenterprise and respect for law and order.The move to change the histoy cuiculumhas been backed by many outside groupsincluding Americans For Prosperity, whichis controlled by the Koch Brothers.

This histoy cuiculum affected the

Jefferson County Advanced Placement(AP) history courses, although the pro-posal also leaves the door open for the

school board to censor any-thing they nd unpatiotico Anti-Ameican. Theboards focus on law andorder brings into questionwhether any soc ial move-ments such as civil rights,the womens movements,

labor movements, the en-viro nmen tal movemen t orLGBTQ ights could be toughat all without being censured.A goup called The CollegeBoard in Colorado has said that if theschool board goes through with its plan,that Jefferson County AP history will notcount towards students college credits.

The teaches took the st blow in an-othe conict with the school boad oveevaluations. On Sept. 19, many teacherscalled in sick, effectively shutting downclasses at Conifer High School and Stand-ley Lake High School. Students also didtheir part and rallied for the teachers butalso took a stand against the whitewashed

history curriculum that the school boardwas imposing over the local schools . Itdid not end there, students at Conifer,Standley Lake and several other local Jef-ferson County schools walked out severaltimes during the next week in responseto the revisionist history lesson. Studentsfrom other schools the joined in, includ-ing Lakewood High School, Dakota RidgeHigh School and Columbine High School,where the infamous school massacre tookplace in 1999. At one point around 1,000students were present at the walkoutsand demonstation. The Jeffeson CountyEducation Association has come out insupport of the students position. Studentsheld signs and chanted by the roadside asmany passersby honked.

Another teacher sick-out was stagedon Sept. 29, as two more Jefferson Countyschools were shut down do to teacher ab-

sences. On Sept. 30, thee was a smallewalkout at Cormody Middle School. Stu-dents walked out to protest the historycuiculum changes. Fox News anchoGretchen Carlson called the studentswho walked out pu nks , whi le oth erpundits have called them a puppet of theteachers union. Many of the studentsdisagreed and have said that the teacherswere not directing them, but rather theywere making up their own minds. Peoplethink because we are teenagers, we dont

know things, but we are going home andlooking things up, said Savanna Barron,a senior at Lakewood High School, asshe waved a sign on Kipling Street. Ifthey dont teach us civil disobedience, wewill teach ourselves. On Oct. 2, parents,students and teachers packed the schoolboard meeting with around 500 people;many student leaders spoke at the event.The school boad voted fo the poposalwith the small concession that students,teachers and parents may serve on thereview committee.

With les from The Illinois review,My Webs Times, KTLA News video, YahooNews, The Blaze, The Denve Post, Wash-ington Post, Democracy Now!, http://www.toolsofthetrade.net, http://www.

westward.com, http://www.9news.com,http://www.breitbart.com, http://www.wonkkett.com, as well as Facebook.

This November I Remember My Parents

CLARA FREEDMAN SOLOMON

and

SIDNEY SOLOMON

Supporters of the

Spanish Workers Revolution

(1936 to 1939)

Raymond S. Solomon

Photo: ktla.comUTLA students protest on April 10.


12/16


VincentSt. John in 1905.

By Juan ConatzDuring the 109 years of the existence

of the Industrial Workers of the World(IWW), there have been many organizersand members whose names have come toprominence within the union. Some wererespected, a few have been hated, and oth-ers triggered feelings that are a mixture of

the two. But arguably, no one has been asadmired in the IWW as Vincent St. John.

Nicknamed The Saint, St. John wasborn to parents of Irish-Dutch ethnic back-gound in 1876. Fo the next 15 yeas, hisfamily moved around frequently, residingin fou diffeent states befoe nally set-tling in Coloado in 1895, when St. Johnwas 19 years old.

In Colorado he began working as amine and union oganize. Within veyears , at the age of 24, he was electe dpresident of his Western Federation ofMines (WFM) local in Telluide. The nextyea, the Telluide local was involved ina hotly contested strike. One of the mineowners organized an anti-union Citizens

Alliance to oppose the striking miners.The police deputized and amed the scabs.In esponse, St. John odeed 250 iesand 50,000 rounds of ammunition forthe union.

As the strike dragged on, a confronta-tion between scabs and strikers occurred,in which shots wee ed and a few menwere killed. At the end of the battle, thescabs withdrew, and the strikers occupiedthe mines, foreshadowing the sit-downsand occupations that wee st done by theIWW in 1906 and followed by the Congressof Industrial Organizations (CIO) andindependent unions in the 1930s.

After the strike died down a year later,the mine owner, Arthur Collins, who hadbrought together the Citizens Alliance,

was shot and killed. Althoughlittle evidence existed toimplicate St. John, he washarassed by police and black-listed from mining work foryears because of this.

Around this same time,and adding to the mythology

of his nickname, St. John wasinvolved in the rescue op-eration of a mining disaster.He was considered a localhero, although he contractedchronic bronchial asthma forhis efforts, which is believedto have contributed to hisearly death.

Radicalized by his expe-rience as a miner in the American West, St.John was considered on the left-wing ofthe Western Federation of Miners. Whenthe WFM became one of the foundingunions of the IWW, he threw himself intoIWW work as well. He also became a mem-ber of the Socialist Party, even running for

ofce at one point.At the 1906 General Convention of theIWW, he was one of the main members ofthe revolutionary unionists who soughtto and succeeded in ousting the presidentof the IWW, Charles Sherman, seen as tooconservative, and abolishing his position.St. John was elected general organizer. Inthe same year, he was arrested in the CoeurdAlene area of Idaho, probably for unionagitation. At the end of the year, and run-ning into 1907, he was heavily involved inthe Goldeld stike in Nevada.

Goldeld, Nev., now a ghost town, wasa booming mining area of around 20,000people duing this time. The stike by thenow IWW-afliated WFM was met by theCitizens Alliance again, as well as martial

law and federal troops. Al-though, the town workersorganized with the IWW andwent on a sympathy strike,the federal troops entry intothe situation gave the mineowners strength, which theyused to slash wages and de-

clare an open-shop policy. St.John was once again impli-cated in a murder with littleto no evidence, this time of alocal restaurant owner. Fur-ther complicating mattersfor the strike and St. Johnwas a jurisdictional disputebetween the WFM and anAmer ican Federa tion of

Labor (AFL) carpenters union, whichseemed to have spilled into violence withSt. John being shot in the hand, possibly byan AFL member. His hand was disabled forthe rest of his life. Despite the strike beingconsidered a loss, it did win the eight-hourday, some wage hikes, and othe benets.

However, the experience led to the WFMleaving the IWW and St. John either leav-ing or being expelled from the WFM laterthat year.

At the IWWs convention in 1908, hepresided as chair. Although hesitant tobing it to the oo, St. John ended upsiding with the direct actionists againstthe political socialists such as DanielDeLeon. He also was elected General Sec-retary (GS), a position he held until he leftthe union. Upon enteing ofce, he foundthe union in a deep nancial cisis andsuspended theIndustrial Union Bulletin,a publication with roots in the revolution-ary unionist faction of 1906.

For the next several years, in his posi-tion as GS of the IWW, he helped shape


Remembering A Greatly-Admired Wobbly: Vincent St. Johnthe union in a more radical fashion andsaw the union nearly grow 10 times inmembership. Many of the most famousstrikes, campaigns, organizing drives,and strategies happened in this pre-WorldWar I era, when St. John was the GS. Healso acted as one of the unions publicfaces, making public calls in the pages of

union publications such asSolidarity toreinforce Free Speech Fights in places likeSpokane, Wash. and Duluth, Minn. To themayors of Fresno and San Diego, Calif., hesent statements saying, Free speech willbe established ... if it takes twenty years .

In 1914, possibly exhausted after yearsof oganizing battles and factional ghts,he resigned as General Secretary and wentto the Southwest to be a prospector. De-spite this, he was still ounded up in 1918during the U.S. governments wartimepersecution of the IWW and went to trialwith 101 other Wobblies. Even though St.John was a labor radical with little illu-sions in the justice system, his 20-yearsentence shocked him.

I did not think that mob justice wouldprevail in a U.S. court, he said.He served two-and-a-half years in

Leavenworth, Kan., before being par-doned.

Upon his release, he rejoined theIWW, which was in the middle of a conictwith the newly established CommunistParty USA (CP) that was trying to winWobblies to their party. He sided with theanti-CPers.

Very little is known about what St.John did between his immediate releaseand his death at the age of 56 in San Fran-cisco. He was buried in an unmarked gravein Oakland, Calif., which was eventuallygiven a proper headstone nearly 70 yearslater.

Photo: tcorganizer.com

By Kenneth Miller

IndyKidsIndyKidsis a free paper for free kids

published in Booklyn, N.Y. It is geatfor kids, college students and workers,providing a real education with front pagestories on deportation and family separa-tion, saving our schools, Haiti, the lifecycle of a cell phone and more. It is greatfor people who are just learning to readEnglish. It comes with lesson plans andencouragement for teachers who want a

peace and justice curriculum.The Black and White reunion and

the Pittsburgh General MembershipBranch (GMB) of the IWW have beenbringing IndyKids to Pittsburgh andhanding them out at events, meetings,and at wok fo about ve yeas. It is agreat organizing tool: dont do a housecall without IndyKids. IndyKids hostsworkshops for journalists and they havebeen invited to do so with the PittsburghAnti-Sweatshop Community Alliance atthe 2015 Pennsylvania Farm Show at theFarm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa.

Pittsburgh Community Television(PCTV): Local Free Speech TV

PCTV is a contact between Veizonand Comcast in the city of Pittsbugh. Thecable companies are obligated to provideus with the channels and the equipment,education and staff to produce televisionprogramming. I used it to produce sevenepisodes of Lets Talk about SweatshopsAt PNC Pak. Black and White reunion(BWR) programming about the SummitAgainst racism is popula on PCTV. Ca-lanna rhoten is the most active ThomasMeton Cente (TMC) membe, using hecedentials as a PCTV community po-ducer to produce Pittsburgh ProgressiveNotebook and putting the TMC peaceand justice programming of Rich Fishkinon the ai. Thee ae many membes ofthe TMC community with vast expeience

producing and broadcasting peace andjustice pogamming at PCTV.

We need a new community producerto help submit programs for broadcast.Maintaining regular peace and justicepogamming at PCTV is one of the thingsCarlanna does very well. We could have alot more peace and justice programmingon PCTV when we give them pogam-ming ofcially, though anothe BWr/TMC community poduce. Ae youburning for some mass ive alter nativejounalism in you life? This might be fo

you. The Black and White reunion has a$75 scholaship you can use to become aPCTV Community Television Poduce.Call Kenneth for more information at412-512-1709 or learn about the orienta-tion pogam fo new PCTV communityproducers. It is free speech television,and we need it!

Fifth EstateFifth Estateis an anarchist magazine

that has been published in Detroit since1965. I became familiar with it whenSunfrog was the editor. He whisperedanarchy in my ear. He was eloquent andpassionate and spoke to me so clearly.He knows my friend Marius Mason, cur-

rently imprisoned at the Federal MedicalCente, Caswell in Texas, fom befoeher imprisonment too. He wrote aboutosmosis on a prison wall and osmosisgoing through the prison walls. It wasbeautiful.

Fifth Estate continues to be pub-lished. The latest issue is about at andanachy. Thee ae many teic essayspertinent to people concerned with art inour schools and the August Wilson Centerhee in Pittsbugh. That Pittsbugh andDetroit have so much in common is onereason why I would like to distributeFifthEstate more in Pittsburgh, with morewriting about jazz and the civil war andthe IWW. Look for upcoming issues ofFifth Estate at TMC.

A Year In Alternative MediaReview


13/16



By Mike KuhlenbeckThe evolutionay movement of the

working class will date from 1905, fromthe oganization of the INDUSTrIALWOrKErS OF THE WOrLD. Economicsolidarity is to-day the supreme need ofthe woking class. The old fom of union-ism has long since fullled its mission and

outlived its usefulness, and the hour hasstruck for a change.

These wods wee spoken by EugeneDebs, Socialist Party leader and notablegue in the 1894 Pullman Stike, in aspeech delivered at Grand Central Palace,New Yok, on Dec. 10, 1905, eulogizing theold unions and yet, at the same time, spokeof a new dawn for the working class.

The most militant leades of theworking-class movement emphasized theneed to unite all workers since the IWWs1905 founding convention at Brands Hallin Chicago, barring no one from member-ship on the grounds of sex, race, coloror creed, a legacy they have kept aliveto this day. While current unions such as

the American Federation of Labor andCongress of Industrial Organizations(AFL-CIO) now have inclusive policestoward all workers in their ranks, it tookvisionaries like the Wobblies to show themthe way.

In the late 1800s, even afte the defeatof the Confederacy in the American CivilWar and the signing of the EmancipationProclamation, former slaves and theirfamilies were not free. Racism was insti-tutionalized, especially in the Jim Crowsouth, where poll taxes prevented African-Americans from voting and the threat ofviolence against the black communit yalways loomed above them. They wee,like all workers, victims of wage slavery.

The st labo oganization that al-lowed African-Americans into its ranks,and eventually its leadership, was theKnights of Labo, which fomed in 1869,with the slogan An Injury to One is theConcern of All, a battle cry of the labormovement that was adopted and strength-ened by the IWW as An Injury to One isan Injury to All!

The Ameican Fedeation of Labo(AFL), fomed in 1886, late supassedthe ailing Knights of Labor and by 1904reportedly had 2 million workers in theirra

Industrial Worker - Issue #1769, November 2014

Documents

Transcript of Industrial Worker - Issue #1769, November 2014